Republican National Commitee Chairman Reince Priebus said on Saturday that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is “a pretty good person” for the GOP to run against in the 2016 presidential election.
Priebus said Clinton is a “flawed” candidate and cited recent polls showing a dip in her approval rating in swing states after she received intense media scrutiny about her exclusive use of a personal email account during her tenure at the State Department.
“Hillary Clinton is actually a pretty good person for us to run against,” he said in an interview on Fox News. “She unites the [Republican] Party, she allows us to raise a lot of money and allows us to recruit a lot of volunteers.”
Clinton will reportedly declare her candidacy for president on Sunday. It will be her second bid for the White House.
In the interview, Priebus was critical of Clinton’s plan for making her announcement, which is reportedly going to be done through social media, followed by a tour of early primary states.
“If she was looking [for] the spotlight, she’d go out and get it and fill a stadium, but she doesn’t want it,” Priebus said. He said she wants to “have her cake and eat it, too,” by declaring her candidacy but avoiding media attention that might come with a splashier announcement.
On the Republican side, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul have both announced their intentions to seek the GOP nomination for president. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is expected to make his announcement on Monday.
