Politics
Hillary Clinton running for president in 2016, friends say — and Huma Abedin will have tough choice
The ex-secretary of state admitted to New York magazine that she’s wrestling with another White House bid, but close friends told the magazine that she's already made up her mind. And that means longtime aide Huma Abedin would have to choose between her career and husband Anthony Weiner.
By Adam Edelman / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Sunday, September 22, 2013, 10:41 AM
Updated: Sunday, September 22, 2013, 6:39 PM
New York Magazine
Hillary Clinton opened up about a possible 2016 president bid during an
exclusive interview with New York magazine. The issue will hit
newstands Monday.
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Hillary Clinton
has decided to run for president in 2016, close friends say — and that
would force long-time aide Huma Abedin into making a tough decision of
her own, between her career and her disgraced husband, Anthony Weiner.
Several Clinton confidants tell New York magazine that that the former secretary of state will jump into the 2016 presidential race.
“She’s going to run for president. It’s a foregone conclusion,” one unnamed longtime friend told the magazine in its widely reaching cover story, “Hillary, In Between.”
“In her mind, she’s running for it, and she’s also convinced herself she hasn’t made up her mind,” the friend added.
RELATED: HILLARY CLINTON’S SECURITY GRABS MAN’S PHONE TO ERASE PHOTO AT MIAMI SPEECH
Another “close confidant” called a Clinton 2016 presidential run “inexorable.”
“She’s running, but she doesn’t know it yet,” the person said. “It’s just like a force of history.”
Speaking for herself — for the first time since stepping down from the U.S. Department of State in February — Clinton confesses that she is, in fact, wrestling with the decision.
“I will just continue to weigh what the factors are that would influence me making a decision one way or the other,” she said.
RELATED: VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN SPARKS 2016 SPECULATION WITH VISIT TO IOWA STEAK-FRY
If Hillary does, in fact, run, it could force Abedin to make a tough choice between her career and her husband, whose online peccadillos could awaken memories of former President Bill Clinton’s well-known infidelities.
“Huma has a choice to make,” a close associate told New York. “Does she go with Anthony, or does she go with Hillary?”
Nevertheless, if Clinton were to plunge into the 2016 race, she would
be the instant frontrunner, according to the latest polls, including a
CNN survey last week reporting that 65% of Democratic voters would
support Clinton in a primary.
She would face a tougher race in the general election, but would still be the favorite. A series of polls released in July showed Clinton beating both New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul in hypothetical matchups.
RELATED: CLINTONS BACK DE BLASIO FOR NYC MAYOR
After 20 years in the public eye — including stints as first lady, New York’s junior senator and Secretary of State — Clinton remains a Democratic icon.
And if she’s not running, she’s certainly doing a bad job of it.
Clinton has events lined up throughout the fall that will keep her in
the spotlight, including an appearance at the Elton John AIDS
Foundation, a speech at a Minneapolis synagogue and an event involving a
Mexican-American initiative in California.
For the most part, though, she said she spends her time enjoying “ordinary, everyday pleasures” with her high-powered hubby — a marked change of pace for Clinton.
So for now, she’s “not in any hurry” to make a decision about 2016.
“I think it’s a serious decision, not to be made lightly, but it’s also not one that has to be made soon,” she said.
“This election is more than three years away, and I just don’t think it’s good for the country,” she added.
Several Clinton confidants tell New York magazine that that the former secretary of state will jump into the 2016 presidential race.
“She’s going to run for president. It’s a foregone conclusion,” one unnamed longtime friend told the magazine in its widely reaching cover story, “Hillary, In Between.”
“In her mind, she’s running for it, and she’s also convinced herself she hasn’t made up her mind,” the friend added.
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images
'I think it’s a serious decision, not to be made lightly, but it’s also not one that has to be made soon,' Clinton said about another White House bid.
Another “close confidant” called a Clinton 2016 presidential run “inexorable.”
“She’s running, but she doesn’t know it yet,” the person said. “It’s just like a force of history.”
Speaking for herself — for the first time since stepping down from the U.S. Department of State in February — Clinton confesses that she is, in fact, wrestling with the decision.
Barry Williams/for New York Daily News
Huma Abedin, a long-time aide to Hillary Clinton, might end up having to choose between working on a Clinton 2016 campaign and staying with her husband, Anthony Weiner, a source told New York.
RELATED: VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN SPARKS 2016 SPECULATION WITH VISIT TO IOWA STEAK-FRY
If Hillary does, in fact, run, it could force Abedin to make a tough choice between her career and her husband, whose online peccadillos could awaken memories of former President Bill Clinton’s well-known infidelities.
“Huma has a choice to make,” a close associate told New York. “Does she go with Anthony, or does she go with Hillary?”
Charles Dharapak/AP
Hillary Clinton, then a senator, shares a word with aide Huma Abedin. 'Huma has a choice to make,' a close associate told New York. 'Does she go with Anthony, or does she go with Hillary?'
She would face a tougher race in the general election, but would still be the favorite. A series of polls released in July showed Clinton beating both New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul in hypothetical matchups.
RELATED: CLINTONS BACK DE BLASIO FOR NYC MAYOR
After 20 years in the public eye — including stints as first lady, New York’s junior senator and Secretary of State — Clinton remains a Democratic icon.
© ERIC THAYER / Reuters/REUTERS
Former New York mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner and his wife, Huma Abedin, hold a news conference in July in which Weiner admitted to newly revealed sexually explicit online chats and photos.
For the most part, though, she said she spends her time enjoying “ordinary, everyday pleasures” with her high-powered hubby — a marked change of pace for Clinton.
So for now, she’s “not in any hurry” to make a decision about 2016.
“I think it’s a serious decision, not to be made lightly, but it’s also not one that has to be made soon,” she said.
“This election is more than three years away, and I just don’t think it’s good for the country,” she added.
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