The first time she ran for President, Hillary Clinton declared herself a candidate in January 2007 — almost two years before Election Day — with a confident, in-your-face slogan: “I’m in, and in to win.”
Eight years later, the presumptive Democratic frontrunner is clearly in no rush to announce this time that she is “in.”
Even Chelsea Clinton told People magazine last week that when it comes to her mom’s political plans, she’s “waiting too.”
In fact, the longer Clinton keeps people guessing, the better, supporters and opponents agree.
“It makes no sense to announce what she’s doing now,” said one longtime Clinton confidante. “There’s no advantage for her to become the lightning rod of the Democratic party. I would not pick a date: I would try and stay out as long as I possibly could. ”
Democrats said an early announcement this time around would be bad for the party: once Clinton declares her candidacy, President Obama becomes a lame duck and many of the former Secretary of State’s backers still want to see him pursue the progressive agenda outlined in his State of the Union speech.
Unlike former Florida Republican Gov. Jeb Bush — who last month announced he was forming a presidential exploratory committee — Clinton has the luxury of skipping that phase entirely.
“Money is going to pour in immediately when she announces,” said the Clinton confidante. “In terms of having a campaign operation, she’s still putting that together.”
Ready for Hillary, the independent PAC that for two years has been building grassroots support for a Clinton presidential run, has also helped buy its candidate more time on the sidelines.
“Ready for Hillary continues to be the shiny object,” said the PAC’s senior advisor Tracy Sefl. “We are offering an outlet for her supporters with our events, fundraisers, and ongoing sign-ups. We’re helping to fill in the blank.”
Instead of downplaying how long the waiting process has been, Ready for Hillary is proudly advertising its two-year anniversary as a fundraising opportunity.
In a moment when Americans have tired of the endless campaign, experts said endless speculation is more effective.
“The waiting game may help her by creating this atmosphere in which it seems as if more and more people want her to run,” said Kenneth Sherrill, professor emeritus of political science at Hunter College. “It implies, ‘We want you to do it.'”
Even Clinton’s critics concede holding off is the smart strategy because they say the larger-than-life myth is better than the reality.
“Once she gets in the race, people will remember she’s not that dynamic of a speaker,” one political strategist said.
A Clinton spokesman had no comment on her timing.
Tim Miller, executive director of the anti-Democrat super PAC America Rising, said Clinton is staying out to avoid commenting on policy issues.
“I suspect she has long decided to run and is using this opportunity to avoid answering questions on things like Keystone, debates on Capitol Hill, and the foreign policy mess she left behind,” he said.
As a declared candidate, Clinton would be expected to take positions on national issues she has steered clear of, such as the Keystone XL Pipeline and Congress’ efforts to repeal parts of the Wall Street reform law known as the Dodd-Frank Act.
The high-stakes waiting game, however, only works for Democrats if Clinton does eventually jump in.
“If she were not running, she would justifiably get beat up for having closed the door on all the people who might have run who do need that lead time,” Sherrill said. “But I think it’s silly to even ask whether she’s running.”