The 2016 Presidential election is three years away – November 8, 2016 to be specific. Never too early to begin that campaign test drive. Hillary Clinton visited Chicago Monday to speak to the Jewish United Fund during the day, and later tonight to attend a private birthday party thrown for her by her closest friends from her Park Ridge high school days.
Clinton turned 66 on Saturday. She received plenty of well wishes, including her husband’s shout out on Twitter: “@billclinton 26 Oct Happy birthday to my brilliant & extraordinary wife @hillaryclinton. I know you hate surprises so I'll tell you now, I didn't plan a party.”
Tonight’s Chicago party is not a surprise either. A source tells us those invited are all close, old friends of Clinton’s grammar school and high school days in Park Ridge.
She may no longer be travelling across continents, however the past six days have been busy ones for the former Secretary of State: speeches in Buffalo New York, Washington DC, Minneapolis and back to Chicago, her second visit in six weeks. Mayor Rahm Emanuel joked he told her “ just buy a condo, it will be much better for all of us involved.” Emanuel predicts that Clinton, should she decide to run in 2016 for president, “I do believe that if Hillary runs in 2016, not only is she the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, she’s the frontrunner for being president , and I told her I would support her.”
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Senators Dick Durbin and John McCain appearing together in Chicago, while from different political parties, also see Clinton as the Democratic frontrunner. They spoke at today’s City Club event and when asked about a 2016 Clinton campaign McCain said “ I don’t think there’s any doubt she has widespread support, her work as secretary of state, with the exception of this issue of Benghazi, which isn’t going away, is outstanding.” Durbin believes “if Hillary Clinton makes the choice to go forward, I believe, she’ll be, should be the odds on favorite to be the Democratic nominee.”
