The time is almost here. Hillary Clinton may finally be getting ready to stop playing the will-she-or-won’t-she game and announce her campaign for the presidency. It will happen “sometime in the next two weeks,” according to the Associated Press. CNN sees something a bit more imminent, saying the start of the former secretary of state’s second bid for the White House “is likely only days away.” The exact date of her launch remains a closely guarded secret within the campaign, but it seems everyone agrees the announcement will be made on social media first.
Despite the slight differences in expected timing, both CNN and the AP agree that after Clinton launches her campaign, her focus will be on smaller events that emphasize the needs of voters first. “While it appears at this moment that Clinton will not face a tough primary challenge in 2016, she is aiming to show voters she plans to earn their support and won’t take the Democratic Party’s nomination for granted,” notes the AP. CNN consulted more than a dozen people close to the Clintons and reports that the main difference from her first bid for the White House will be “a concerted effort to try and make her candidacy seem far less focused on her winning than on listening to the concerns of voters.”
The latest talk of an imminent announcement comes days after reports that Clinton’s team had signed a lease for campaign office space in downtown Brooklyn. When Politico first reported the news, it pointed out that it likely meant Clinton’s announcement would come soon. Federal Election Commission rules give a politician 15 days to announce a candidacy after conducting official campaign activities. And there is likely no arguing that signing a lease constitutes official campaign activity.
Even before she officially announces her candidacy, Clinton’s team continues to grow. CNN also reported Monday that the former first lady has hired veteran Democratic communications expert and former MSNBC host Karen Finney as strategic communications adviser and senior representative. She has also taken on Oren Shur as director of paid media.* Both positions will be made official once Clinton announces her candidacy.
*Correction, 6 April at 4:30 p.m.: This article originally misspelled Oren Shur’s last name.
