Hillary Clinton made 45 appearances on the campaign trail this year for congressional Democrats, according to her spokesperson, winning gratitude from Democrats as she reintroduces herself to voters in key states ahead of a likely presidential run.
Clinton largely left politics after losing her 2008 presidential race and becoming President Obama’s secretary of state. But since early September, she’s been crisscrossing the country for Democrats in key races and exceeding expectations. She held fundraisers or rallies for 10 senate, 12 gubernatorial and four House candidates in 20 states.
That includes the key presidential state of Iowa, where she attended the annual Tom Harkin Steak Fry in September and then returned last week to campaign for Senate candidate Bruce Braley. On the second visit, Clinton visited an iconic diner and mingled with voters, humbly reintroducing herself to the state that scorned her in 2008 in favor of Barack Obama. Her husband, former president Bill Clinton, also visited Iowa to campaign for Braley this weekend.
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On Sunday, the former secretary of state returned to New Hampshire, a state which has always been good for the Clintons and she won in 2008. Clinton made four stops in the state, which holds the first primary in the Democratic nominating process.
Earlier in the cycle, some Democrats worried she would not lend her star power to the party’s candidates in what promised to be a difficult year for Democrats, but campaigns from Pennsylvania to Iowa to Kentucky have been very happy with her efforts.
She’s also raised millions of dollars for party committees, which support all Democrats running for the House, Senate, or governor’s mansion. Meanwhile, Bill Clinton has also worked harder for Democrats this year than in previous cycles.
Clinton allies say she’s motivated by a desire to help Democrats get elected in a tough year, but also privately acknowledge that her campaign work is another sign that she’s preparing to run for president in 2016.
Alex Seitz-Wald