After being mailed a pipe bomb by the infamous “MAGABomber” last week former First Lady and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is not running for cover. On the country, she is leaving open the possibility of another run for the presidency.
Hillary Clinton leaves door open for 2020 run: "I'd like to be president" https://t.co/JeyyVHekV5 pic.twitter.com/HIEDLhp288
— The Hill (@thehill) October 29, 2018
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At a political event over the weekend she said that “I’d like to be president” even though she doesn’t want to actually run for president again.
Clinton’s comments were sure to cause a stir in Democratic Party circles at a time when there is increased speculation on the topic of whether or not she will launch another presidential campaign. Like all the other potential 2020 Democratic contenders she would not announce anything until after next week’s midterm elections.
“Do you want to run again?” Recode’s Kara Swisher asked Mrs. Clinton on Friday night.
“No,” Clinton replied quickly, sparking laughter from the audience. But when Swisher pressed her more on the topic, she admitted: “I’d like to be president.”
Mrs. Clinton then went on to say that “there’s going to be so much work to be done after a Democrat hopefully wins the next presidential election.”
“The work would be work that I feel very well prepared for having been in the Senate for eight years, having been a diplomat in the State Department,” she said, as she mentioned her many qualifications that she believes qualify her for the job of president.
The former First Lady and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, recently announced that they will soon be embarking on a 13-city tour. Their stated goal is to host meaningful discussions about important current events and political issues across the United States.
Clinton in September published a followup to her campaign memoir, “What Happened,” where she took aim at the Trump administration’s policies and expressed grave concern that the nation’s democracy is “in crisis.”
She has also been increasing her presence in the national media, appearing in radio and TV interviews frequently to criticize the GOP and Trump.
Her former aide Philippe Reines earlier this month said there is a “not zero” chance that the former Secretary of State will run against Trump.
“It’s curious why Hillary Clinton’s name isn’t in the mix—either conversationally or in formal polling—as a 2020 candidate,” Reines said in an interview. “She’s younger than Donald Trump by a year. She’s younger than Joe Biden by four years. Is it that she’s run before? This would be Bernie Sanders’ second time, and Biden’s third time. Is it lack of support? She had 65 million people vote for her.”
When asked if she will run again in 2020, Reines said, “It’s somewhere between highly unlikely and zero, but it’s not zero.”
If Hillary Clinton does decide to run for president again in 2020 she will be just one more name to add to the list of what is likely to be an extremely crowded group of contenders.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
