With the upcoming election around the corner, the list of potential presidential candidates has continued to grow. Now Hillary Clinton has officially announced her intention to run for president in the 2016 elections, a decision that will make history in more ways than one.
Hillary Clinton became a household name during her tenure as first lady when her husband, former president Bill Clinton, ran in 1991. Following her husband’s win, she became the only first lady in history to be elected to the United States Senate. Even after her husband left office, Hillary Clinton has continued to garner attention through her achievements as diplomat.
With the amount of time Clinton has spent in the public eye, it should come as no surprise that she announced her decision to run in a YouTube video. The video, titled “Getting Started,” features an array of individuals, ranging in race, gender and sexual orientation, discussing new changes they are in the process of making, including a mother who is returning to school, brothers who are starting a new business, and a couple planning for their first child.
“I’m getting ready to do something too,” Clinton said in the video. “I’m running for president.”
Stacked against Clinton’s odds are other Democratic politicians, and those vying for the Republican nomination. Clinton has also been caught in the midst of several scandals, including her husband’s infamous affair while in office and her recent email scandal that became a national security concern.
Clinton previously ran for the Democratic nomination in the 2008 campaign, finishing third behind John Edwards and, the current president, Barack Obama.
“Although we weren’t able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling, this time, thanks to you, it’s got about 18 million cracks in it,” Clinton said following Obama’s win as Democratic nominee. “And the light is shining through like never before, filling us all with the hope and the sure knowledge that the path will be a little easier next time.”
Should Clinton win the 2016 election, she will be the first female president of the United States.
“Americans have fought their way back from tough economic times but the deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top,” Clinton continued in the video. “Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion.”
Information for this article taken from nytimes.com and pbs.org.