Hillary Clinton to run for US president
Former US secretary of state sets off on tour as part of her presidential campaign
Hillary Clinton in bid to become the first female president of the US
International media report that Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has set out for a tour of key states, at the start of her campaign to become the first woman US president. Clinton is taking a road trip to meet small groups of voters in Iowa, after announcing her candidature for the Democratic presidential nomination on Sunday.
The move has been expected for months and Clinton had already run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, when she lost to Barack Obama.
Clinton's team has said that she would spend the next few weeks building up grassroots support in the early Democratic primary states, while the first rally, to officially kick off her campaign, is not expected until mid-May.
However, she has announced that her trip to Iowa is to be a "listening tour" where she will meet voters at low-key events. According to the BBC she is expected to meet groups of students, teachers and small business owners later this week.
Clinton launched her campaign website on Sunday, and declared that she was running for president in a video published on the same day.
"Americans have fought their way back from tough economic times," she said, "but the deck is still stacked in favour of those at the top,” she explained, adding that she wanted to be a champion for "everyday Americans". The video also features a number of Americans talking about their hopes and aspirations.
