Hillary Clinton Announces 2016 Presidential Campaign, Travels to Iowa

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced this past Sunday that she will be running for the 2016 presidential ticket as a democrat.

Clinton first made her announcement in emails sent to her campaign chairman John Podesta and to her donors on Sunday, saying: "I wanted to make sure you heard it first from me – it's official: Hillary's running for president." 

The former First Lady then followed up with a video message posted on YouTube and social media. 

As Politico reports, Clinton's video message announcing her campaign proved very different from her 2008 campaign announcement. The 2:18 video shows various Americans from different economic levels discussing new journeys their starting, including a child starting kindergarten and a woman retiring from her career. 

Clinton doesn't appear in the video until 1:35, when she says that she is preparing to run for president.

"I'm getting ready to do something too," Clinton says in the clip. "I'm running for president."

"Americans have fought their way back from tough economic times, but the deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top," Clinton continued, adding "Everyday Americans need a champion. I want to be that champion,"

"So you can do more than just get by. You can get ahead, and stay ahead. Because when families are strong, America is strong," the former Secretary of State concluded. 

After announcing her plans to run for president, Clinton embarked on a road trip with two of her campaign aides in a van, traveling from New York to Iowa, where the former First Lady will speak at a series of small events.

Although she has not officially announced it, Clinton is reportedly expected to make a series of unexpected pit stops en route from the east coast to the Midwest.