Hillary Clinton running for president, coming to Iowa

DES MOINES - Hillary Clinton is running for president, and one of her first orders of business as a candidate is to visit Iowa.

Clinton - the Democratic former U.S. Secretary of State, senator and first lady who long has been expected to run for president in 2016 - made her candidacy official Sunday with a 2-minute video posted online.

If elected, Clinton would become the country's first female president.

'I'm running for president,” she said in the video. 'Americans have fought their way back from tough economic times, but the deck still is stacked in favor of those at the top.

'Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion.”

Clinton will make her case right away to Iowa's first-in-the-nation voters, with a planned two-day visit.

On Tuesday, Clinton will appear at Kirkwood Community College's Jones County Regional Center in Monticello for a roundtable with students and educators.

On Wednesday, she will visit Capital City Fruit in Norwalk for a small business roundtable.

The events will not be open to the public but will be open to media, Clinton's campaign said.

The first six to eight weeks of Clinton's campaign will be a 'ramp-up” effort in which she intends to build a nationwide grass roots organization and engage directly with voters, according to a campaign news release.

The campaign said Clinton will hold a public rally in May, after the campaign is organized in all 50 states.

Her campaign said this week's Iowa trip will be about 'how to make the economy work so everyday Americans and their families can actually get ahead and stay ahead.” The campaign said Clinton also will include 'meetings with elected officials, community leaders, activists, and other Iowans from across the state to discuss her campaign and ask for their support.”

'I'm hitting the road to earn your vote,” Clinton said in her announcement video. 'Because it's your time, and I hope you'll join me on this journey.”

A few Iowans were among those featured in Clinton's video, including Julie Stauch, who lives in West Des Moines. Stauch said she supported Clinton in 2008 and will do so again in 2016.

'I felt she was the best candidate then, and I feel she's 10 times better now with all the experience she's been able to gain,” Stauch said. 'I'm absolutely thrilled she's doing this. …

'The whole video, really, it's about real people's lives and the impact of government on their lives. And she wants to be a president who is going to think about all the people and move the needle on issues that are going to affect people.”

Numerous polls have showed that Clinton will be a prohibitive favorite to earn the Democratic nomination.

Other Democrats considering a run for president include former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley and former U.S. Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia. Both were in Iowa this weekend.

'Gov. O'Malley is seriously considering running for president, and he will make his decision regardless of what other people decide to do,” O'Malley spokeswoman Lis Smith said in a statement. 'All across the nation, he's heard from Democrats that they are looking for someone who offers strong progressive values, new leadership, and the experience of getting real results. The Democratic Party will benefit from a robust issues debate, and - should Gov. O'Malley decide to enter the race - he will bring one.”

Clinton also ran for president in 2008, but fell short in the primary race to Barack Obama, who is completing his second term as president.

Reaction was swift to Clinton's widely anticipated announcement.

The Republican Party of Iowa repeated comments made in a Saturday news event - that Clinton is entering a Democratic 'coronation,” that she represents more of Obama's policies, and that she will have to face questions about her use of private email while serving as secretary of state.

Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, issued a statement with a similar theme.

'Americans need a president they can trust and voters do not trust Hillary Clinton,” Priebus said in the statement. 'Over decades as a Washington insider, Clinton has left a trail of secrecy, scandal, and failed policies that can't be erased from voters' minds.”

Many Republicans considering a run for president took to Twitter to react.

'Is the world a safer place because Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State? No,” tweeted Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, one of two Republicans officially in the race.

Tweeted U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, the other official GOP candidate: 'Hillary Clinton does not think the law applies to her.”

Multiple advocacy groups that have been trying to persuade Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts to run for president issued statements calling for Clinton to discuss the progressive ideals they believe Warren best exemplifies.

The groups also said they will continue to encourage Warren to run for president, even though she repeatedly has said she will not.

'With the 2016 race officially underway, we anticipate more Americans expressing their desire for a vigorous Democratic primary with Elizabeth Warren in it --- a primary that would strengthen the eventual nominee, ensure Democrats are better positioned to win the general election, and give working families a champion in Washington,” Ready for Warren campaign manager Erica Sagrans said in a statement.