Hillary Clinton says she’s now “thinking about” a run for the Oval Office in 2016.
Speaking at a marketing summit held by software company Marketo in San Francisco, Clinton, who has teased with the idea of a 2016 presidential bid, dropped her strongest hint about a potential run on Tuesday.
“I am obviously … deeply honored to have some people ask me and people encourage me … and I am obviously thinking about it,” Clinton said when asked about the 2016 presidential race.
“But I am going to continue to think about it for a while,” she said.
“The hard questions aren’t ‘Do you want to be president?’ or ‘Can you win?’” Clinton told the audience at the Moscone Center. “The hard questions are ‘Why? Why would you want to do this? And what would you offer that could make a difference?’”
The former secretary of state has largely given non-answers when asked about her future professional aspirations, most recently saying at the Women in the World Summit in New York City that she won’t be deciding on a presidential bid “right now.”
Clinton, who is considered a frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, is leading most 2016 polls, even matched up against possible Republican contenders Chris Christie and Jeb Bush.
“I am not going to make a decision for a while because, you know, I am actually enjoying my life,” Clinton said, answering Marketo CEO Phil Fernandez’s question. “I am actually having fun doing ordinary things like seeing my friends and going on long walks and playing with our dogs … At the end of the day, it is what really gives joy and meaning to your life.”
“I danced around that pretty well, didn’t I,” she said.
Clinton offered a similar response in January. “I will think about it in the future sometime, but right now let’s think about what we have to do to continue building on our success,” the former first lady said at a New Orleans fundraising event.
Tuesday’s conference was attended by nearly 2,000 attendees, who cheered loudly when Clinton was asked about 2016, according to Carla Marinucci of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Huge cheers in SF as @HillaryClinton asked on #2016; "I'm actually here hoping to get some marketing advice…obviously thnking about it."
— Carla Marinucci (@cmarinucci) April 8, 2014Clinton said Tuesday that her decision to run would rest heavily on whether she would want to battle with the constant contention in Washington.
“I would be the first to say we’re having a political period of, frankly, dysfunction,” Clinton said. “I saw it from afar as secretary and it was disheartening and even embarrassing to see people arguing about letting us default on our debt.”
Clare Kim