WASHINGTON — After months of anticipation, Hillary Rodham Clinton is expected to launch her presidential campaign sometime in the next two weeks with an initial focus on intimate events putting her in close contact with voters.
Clinton wants to avoid soaring speeches delivered to big rallies, and the risk they’ll convey the same cloak of inevitability that contributed to her loss in the 2008 Democratic primaries to Barack Obama.
The goal, according to people close to the Clinton organization, is to make her second run for the White House more about voters and less about herself, regardless of her place atop a field of candidates that currently looks far weaker this time around.
“For Secretary Clinton, it’s about being at the level with the people,” said Robert Gibbs, a longtime political adviser to President Obama. “You’re demonstrating to people that you’re on the ground ready to work each and every day for that vote.”
Clinton’s initial events are expected to be held in Iowa and New Hampshire, the first states to vote in the presidential primary contest. Robby Mook, who is slated to serve as Clinton’s campaign manager, and Marlon Marshall, a top incoming campaign aide, traveled to both states last week.
Paul to announce bid
Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, plans to launch his presidential bid Tuesday in Louisville. Paul’s father, former Texas Congressman Ron Paul, will attend.
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