Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the heavy front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, will be heading to Florida in the coming days as she gears up to run for the White House.
Former Florida Democratic Party Chairman Bob Poe announced in a Facebook post that Clinton will be headed to South Florida on Oct. 2 to campaign with former Gov. Charlie Crist, the Democratic nominee challenging Gov. Rick Scott in November. Clinton and Crist will attend a “dinner reception” in Miami. Last month Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, campaigned with Crist.
In recent days, Hillary Clinton has become increasingly active on the campaign trail, showing clear signs that she intends to run in 2016. Earlier this week, the former first lady sent out emails urging supporters to back Democrats in this year’s congressional elections. Earlier this month, the Clintons headed out to Iowa, home of the first presidential caucus, for a political event organized by retiring U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.
The Clintons are also turning to New Hampshire, home of the first presidential primary. Earlier this week, news broke that Hillary Clinton will attend a fundraiser in Washington, D.C., for powerful New Hampshire state Sen. Lou D’Allesandro on Sept. 30. The former president will head up to New Hampshire for a Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner on Oct. 16.
There are other Democrats looking to run for their party’s presidential nomination in 2016 including Gov. Martin O’Malley, D-Md. Over the past weekend, O’Malley campaigned alongside Crist in South Florida and took a shot at the front-runner.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Sec. Clinton,” O’Malley told the Palm Beach Post when he was campaigning with Crist. “I supported her for president in 2008, was one of the first governors to support her in 2008, and hung with her all the way through to the end of that courageous campaign. I think that as our problems are new, so must our thinking be new. And so must the actions that we take also be new. And I do believe that the candidate that wins our party’s nomination will be the candidate that can offer new ideas for a new generation of Americans.”
Another potential Democratic presidential candidate, Gov. Deval Patrick, D-Mass., also campaigned with Crist earlier this month.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
