With Jeb Bush’s surprise pre-Christmas announcement forcing the timetables of every other candidate, all eyes are on Hillary Clinton and what she’ll do next. A number of Democrat candidates’ decisions on whether to run for the White House hinge on Clinton’s intentions.
Now, a Reuter’s interview with White House staffer John Podesta has revealed the likely announcement date for Hillary. Presumed to be Hillary’s campaign chairman, Podesta explained that he will leave the White House next month in anticipation of her announcement.
Podesta detailed, “I’m probably going to leave in early February. If she decides to run, I told her I’d do anything I can to help her.” This squares with speculation of an early Spring announcement given that Clinton has scheduled non-political speeches through March. Thus an announcement immediately after Easter is most likely.
Insiders also point to the advantage of an April announcement in that it allows Clinton to avoid having to file campaign finance reports with the FEC for the first quarter of this year, which is now all the more important given that Jeb Bush will certainly be expected to put up big numbers for his recently-formed Super PAC.
Podesta’s announcement was coupled by a similar announcement from another White House staffer, Marlon Marshall, who served on Hillary’s 2008 campaign. Marshall revealed last Friday that he would be leaving the White House soon as well.
According to the most recent MSNBC poll, Hillary still tops the list among the most likely Democrat candidates with 62%. Sen. Elizabeth Warren has climbed the charts to second place over Vice President Joe Biden but with a mere 12% to his 10%.
