She’s got the backing of high-profile Hollywood stars, including George Clooney, Barbra Streisand and Tom Hanks, but not one compares to the unwavering support Hillary Clinton receives from her daughter Chelsea. The former First Daughter was one of the first to publicly congratulate her mum, who announced she was running for the US presidential election in 2016, tweeting, “Very proud of you, Mom!” on social media.
After two years of speculation, the former Secretary of State announced via a two-minute video that she will run for president, establishing herself as the likely 2016 Democratic nominee. Everyday Americans need a champion. And I want to be that champion,” she told viewers in her address. “I’m hitting the road to earn your vote because it’s your time. And I hope you’ll join me on this journey.”
Former First Lady Hillary is hoping to become the first female president of the United States.
The announcement came only a few minutes after her campaign chairman sent an email alerting donors and longtime Clinton associates of her candidacy. She’s expected to meet with voters in Iowa and host a formal kick-off event in the coming month.
This isn’t the first time Hillary (67) has thrown her hat in the ring. She was an early frontrunner for the Democratic party nomination in 2008, and she campaigned at length with her husband, former US president Bill Clinton, and Chelsea by her side. However, she lost to Barack Obama.
Hillary’s daughter Chelsea spends most of her time caring for baby daughter Charlotte, but she is expected to join her mother on the campaign trail at some stage.
It’s unclear at this stage what role Chelsea (35) will play on the campaign trail, and while it’s almost certain she will make public appearances as she did during her mum’s 2008 run, her priorities have changed since then.
The Oxford graduate and her husband, investment banker Marc Mezvinsky, welcomed their first daughter, Charlotte, into the world last September and much of Chelsea’s time is being spent with her little one. While the campaign will keep Hillary on the road for the next 19 months, her headquarters are in New York and they’re not far from Chelsea and Marc’s apartment.
Like her mother, Chelsea has been vocal about the need for a female leader in the US. In an interview conducted before Hillary revealed her 2016 plans, Chelsea spoke about her desire to see a woman “sitting at the head of the table”. “One of our core values in this country is that we are the land of equal opportunity, but when equal hasn’t yet included gender, there is a fundamental challenge there that, I believe, having our first woman president – whenever that is – will help resolve it.”
Hillary adds, “When women have been in positions of leadership, they have had different degrees of success versus their male counterparts, historically being able to build more consensus so that decisions have longer-term effects, whether economic investments or in building social capital. Who sits around the table matters.”
Like her mother, Chelsea has been vocal about the need for a female US president.
It is thought the former First Lady will focus on improving economic status for the middle class, with an emphasis on increasing wages and reducing income inequality, as well as addressing the gender imbalance in the workforce.
In 2008, Hillary was determined to energise her female supporters, saying, “We weren’t able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, but thanks to you, it’s got about 18 million cracks in it – and the light is shining through like never before.”
