Clinton made it official, declaring the launch of her 2016 presidential campaign via email announcements sent by her campaign chairman John Podesta and also by Twitter and YouTube.
Hillary Clinton published her first campaign video on her official Youtube account.
The two-minute clip, entitled Getting Started, features people of different ages and ethnicities telling about their plans for the upcoming year.
These include a same-sex couple preparing for marriage, young parents-to-be, a woman about to retire and two Spanish-speaking brothers planning to open a business.
The choice of minority groups to feature in Clinton’s campaign video comes as no surprise as during her four years as the US Secretary of State, Clinton repeatedly delivered speeches in support of LGBT rights, with the speech she gave before the United Nations in Geneva in 2011 being the most famous.
Recent polls suggest that Clinton enjoys high support among the Hispanic population of the United States. According to the last two surveys conducted for ABC News and Washington Post, 71 percent of registered Hispanic voters would have chosen to support Hillary Clinton over possible Republican candidate, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.
Many called Clinton’s second attempt at running for president the worst-kept secret of the political world, with months of rumors and speculation preceding the announcement.
However, Clinton herself has been low-key, readying for the long run.
I'm running for president. Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion. –H https://t.co/w8Hoe1pbtC
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) April 12, 2015
Some have criticized Clinton for waiting so long to declare which they say has hurt a Democratic bid. However, the only other 2016 candidate to announce is Ted Cruz, a Republican senator from Texas. Several other prominent Republicans are expected to enter the fray but Clinton's announcement will likely stop most other Democratic potentials from running.
While Clinton is seen as given Democratic nominee next year, Clinton was the favorite to win the 2008 nomination of her party before little-known, then-Senator Barack Obama made his surprise announcement.
Even if Clinton does become the Democratic nominee, Republicans have been laying the groundwork for attacks against her on a number of fronts, particularly related to her record as Secretary of State. Opposition has already been hammering Clinton on the 2012 incident in Benghazi in which a US ambassador was killed and her use of a private email server to conduct official State business.
