WASHINGTON (AP) – A still undeclared candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton sits atop the prospective field of Democratic presidential candidates for 2016. But as Clinton has said before, if she runs again, she’ll work as hard as any underdog.
Clinton’s 2008 presidential bid stumbled against President Barack Obama, undermined by anti-war activists who opposed her vote to authorize the Iraq war, infighting among her staff and a large entourage in the early states where retail politics matter.
How she attempts to address those deficiencies – assuming she runs for president, as expected – will be a big part of Clinton’s efforts next year. Here’s a look at five things to watch from Clinton in 2015.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Speculation about the timing of Clinton’s announcement has been rampant. Some Democrats wanted her to make it official after the party’s dreadful midterm elections. Clinton has scheduled some paid speeches into March, raising the possibility that she will hold off until spring. Democratic insiders expect a different approach this time – recall her January 2007 video declaring, “I’m in to win” – that harnesses the grassroots activists sowed by outside super PACs and allows her to make a big splash in online fundraising. “All of these supporters are a ready-made asset, eager to help promote her message and to stand by her in what we can safely expect to be a relentless, even unprecedented, swamp of negativity from her opponents,” said Tracy Sefl, an adviser to Ready for Hillary.
RATIONALE: Clinton has said anyone who runs for president needs to have a specific agenda and have a reason to run. She offered hints at what her rationale might be during the fall campaign, advocating for middle-class economic prosperity, paid leave for working mothers and a hike in the minimum wage. The party’s liberal wing will look for signs that she might offer a brand of economic populism that have made them gravitate to Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who says she’s not running in 2016.