[ Hillary Clinton ] Former US First Lady kicks off 2016 Presidential campaign

Clinton's anticipated Sunday, April 12, 2015 presidential race announcement was made via a video message which was posted on her website. 

 
Hilary Clinton

Former United States First Lady and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton has officially announced her presidential bid and is set to kick off a tour of key states, at the start of her campaign.

Clinton's anticipated Sunday, April 12, 2015 presidential race announcement was made via a video message which was posted on her website. In the video she said:

"Americans have fought their way back from tough economic times, but the deck is still stacked in favour of those at the top" adding that she  she wanted to be a champion for "everyday Americans".

The video also featured a number of Americans talking about their hopes and aspirations.

Following her announcement, Clinton has taken a road trip to meet small groups of voters in Iowa and a few hours into her journey from New York to Iowa, she tweeted:

"Road trip! Loaded the van & set off for IA. Met a great family when we stopped this afternoon. Many more to come. -H."

Bill and Hilary Clinton

Clinton's team has said she would spend the next few weeks building up grassroots support in the early Democratic primary states.

However her first rally, to officially kick off her campaign, is not expected until mid-May. But her trip to Iowa is to be a 'listening tour' where Mrs Clinton will meet voters at low-key events.

She is also expected to meet groups of students, teachers and small business owners later in the week.

Meanwhile, Clinton has already had the backing of current US President Barack Obama, who said on Saturday that she would make an "excellent president".

On the flip side, criticism from Republican opposition has began to pour in with Jeb Bush, former Florida Governor and brother of George W Bush who is expected to stand as a Republican candidate saying:

"We must do better than the Obama-Clinton foreign policy that has damaged relationships with our allies and emboldened our enemies."

Another Republican presidential contender Rand Paul, has also called out Clinton for her handling of foreign policies during her time as Secretary of State, referring specifically to her handling of a September 2012 attack on a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, in which the US ambassador was among those killed.