WASHINGTON — Hillary Rodham Clinton entered the presidential race Sunday, saying she wants to fight for the economic futures of regular people and ending years of speculation about whether she would redeem the disappointment of her failed 2008 attempt to become the country’s first female commander in chief.
“I’m running for president. Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion,” Clinton said on Twitter.
An accompanying video features a diverse assortment of Americans talking about their hopes and aspirations as they undertake a new challenge. Clinton does not show up until the video has run for more than a minute. When she does, it’s with a declaration that she, too, is “getting ready to do something.”
“Americans have fought their way back from tough economic times. But the deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top,” Clinton says. “I’m hitting the road to earn your vote because it’s your time. And I hope you’ll join me on this journey.”
The studied understatement was intentional, an attempt to answer critics who wrote off her 2008 campaign as a nervy juggernaut of ambition and guile. This time, Clinton seems to be saying, the campaign is about voters and not about her.
That begins to touch on a campaign rationale — too many people have been dealt bad hands by the still-uncertain economy, but I’m on your side to help fix it — but leaves for later any detailed assessment of her policy prescriptions on the economy, other domestic issues or foreign policy.
The video features real people, as opposed to actors, and includes an obvious appeal to both the Democratic working-class base and groups that formed the core of President Barack Obama’s coalition — including the young, minorities and gays. Women outnumber men, men hold hands, and one Clinton supporter speaks in Spanish.
One person it does not feature: Bill Clinton. The former president is neither shown nor mentioned. He appears in photos on the campaign website, but it was clear that his presence and role were taking a back seat to his wife’s aspirations.
Republican reaction
No high-level primary opposition is yet on the horizon. On the GOP side, Hillary Clinton faces an assortment of more than a dozen declared or likely opponents eager to define themselves as the candidate who could defeat her.
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida is expected to announce his bid for the Republican nomination Monday. Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky have announced their campaigns.
The GOP did not wait for her announcement to begin their campaign against her. The party’s chairman, Reince Priebus, has outlined plans for a broad effort to try to undermine her record as secretary of state while arguing that her election would be like giving Obama a “third term.”
Republicans also have jumped on Clinton’s use of a personal e-mail account and server while she was secretary of state, as well as her handling of the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, in his own online video, said Sunday: “We must do better than the Obama-Clinton foreign policy that has damaged relationships with our allies and emboldened our enemies.”
Low-key approach
Clinton has resigned from the board of the Clinton Foundation, the foundation said late Sunday. The vast charitable operation has been the mainstay of Bill Clinton’s post-presidential career and has come under renewed scrutiny for accepting foreign donations while Hillary Clinton was secretary of state.
The newly declared candidate will hold two days of small events in Iowa this week, beginning at a community college in the eastern town of Monticello on Tuesday.
Many of the factors that contributed to her downfall in 2008 are still present, including Clinton’s own limitations as a retail campaigner. Always more comfortable in the wonk trenches than on the campaign rope line, Clinton is starting her 2016 campaign with smaller events intended to play to her strengths as an advocate.
She had already been zinging congressional Republicans on Twitter while telling partisan audiences that she has experience working across party lines in Washington.
“TBD …”
Clinton summed up her long and colorful biography in cheeky fashion when she joined Twitter in 2013: “Wife, mom, lawyer, women & kids advocate, FLOAR, FLOTUS, US Senator, SecState, author, dog owner, hair icon, pantsuit aficionado, glass ceiling cracker, TBD …”
The “to be determined” reference is now decided: a second attempt at the White House. Clinton has been running a shadow campaign for months, attacking Republicans and refining a Democratic-base-friendly message heavy on themes of economic fairness and an equal shot at middle-class success for all.
Clinton changed her Twitter profile Sunday, replacing the now-iconic picture of her checking e-mail aboard a military transport plane with a cheery, campaign-ready picture and her new logo, an “H” with a forward arrow.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
