Hillary Clinton will spend the early days of her second presidential campaign wooing voters in Iowa, where she will reportedly spend weeks “ramping up” her White House bid.
Clinton’s campaign website, which she unveiled alongside an announcement video Sunday, solicits volunteers in Iowa, New Hampshire, New York, Nevada and South Carolina — all states that host the earliest primary votes.
“Everyday Americans need a champion. I want to be that champion,” Clinton tweeted Sunday after an email from longtime confidante John Podesta to donors leaked news of her announcement online.
The digital launch preceded trips to Iowa and New Hampshire that will reportedly feature a barrage of small events designed to win over caucus-goers and Democratic primary voters.
Clinton’s announcement touched off the 2016 race in earnest, as candidates on both sides of the aisle have formally entered the fray.
Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and Rand Paul announced their respective campaigns earlier this month, with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio expected to join the GOP primary Monday.
In 2008, the former secretary of state’s weak performance in the Hawkeye State inflicted a wound on her presidential campaign that never healed. She finished third behind then-Sen. Barack Obama and former Sen. John Edwards.
Now that Clinton has formally entered the race, supporters will begin a massive fundraising effort in an attempt to drum up the more than $1 billion her campaign is reportedly seeking.
Clinton is not expected to face a competitive primary field, with many Democratic campaign bundlers and operatives uniting around her candidacy.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is reportedly testing the waters for his own White House bid, although like most Democrats, he has publicly expressed his support for Hillary.
Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chaffee has also indicated he will enter the race, saying he is motivated by what he perceives as a “lack of judgment” from Clinton’s voting record in the Senate.
Presidential candidates on the GOP side have also began to set their sights on the early states.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush have not yet announced their intentions to run for president, but both have joined official candidates Cruz and Paul in crisscrossing key primary states as they take the temperature for expected runs.
