WASHINGTON, April 12 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has released a video announcing her 2016 presidential campaign.
Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta sent an email to supporters announcing her bid is official. The release of her video message followed shortly after.
"Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion," she says toward the end of the spot.
A former New York Senator, Clinton ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, but lost to President Barack Obama. Her run for the nomination is expected to be easier this time around, since there aren't many candidates as experienced and universally known.
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She will travel to the key primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire after announcing her candidacy.
Obama said she would make an "excellent president" on Saturday during a news conference at the Summit of the Americas in Panama. Secretary of State John Kerry, who succeeded Clinton, said she "did a terrific job of rebuilding alliances that had been shredded over the course of the prior years."
Clinton visited 112 countries in four years while serving as secretary of state, leading the U.S. response to the Arab Spring movement and the military intervention in Libya in 2011.
She was first lady when former President Bill Clinton was in office. The Clinton couple have been in the public eye for decades, garnering both praise and controversy. Her announcement to run has ended years of speculation.
She's given speeches, assembled staff and promoted the Clinton Foundation non-profit organization in the past few years, strengthening her footing before the demanding presidential campaign.
Clinton has sizable leads in 2016 Democratic presidential nomination polls, leading with about 60 percent over other potential candidates such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Vice President Joe Biden, according to an average by Real Clear Politics.
