Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will need to raise $100 million in the next 20 months if she wants to clear the field of potential Democratic rivals in a 2016 White House bid, insiders tell
Time magazine.
An “eye-popping number” would essentially tell all serious challengers that a run in 2016 wasn’t worth their time, one Democratic strategist was quoted as saying.
Clinton does not need to raise the money herself, one source told the magazine. “If a super PAC raises $75 million to $125 million in the next two years, that’s formidable and it indicates that there is really strong support [for her].”
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In fact, Time notes, raising the money herself at this point could actually be a negative for Clinton, a polarizing figure in politics. She does better to stay under the radar for now.
In her previous presidential run, Clinton had raised $36 million in the first quarter of 2007 and was slightly ahead of eventual winner Barack Obama.
“We’ve learned our lesson,” Time’s Clinton insider said.
Supporters intend to see that Clinton sees no effective rivals in 2016 – and this time they have the backing of Obama insiders.
Supporters are ready to start bringing in the cash through the super PAC Ready For Hillary, the Time story said.
“I’ve told her supporters — get a super PAC and raise a ton of money,” a top Obama campaign adviser told Time. “That’s how you clear the field.”
Political experts on both the right and left have said for weeks that Clinton is undoubtedly running. She stepped down from her position in Obama’s Cabinet after his first term.
An adviser to one of Clinton’s possible rivals told Time that she doesn’t even need to raise massive funds to clear the political field. Her entry into the race will clear out any serious contenders, the adviser said.
Clinton, meanwhile, has a book deal.
She is working on a memoir and policy book about her years as secretary of state, Simon & Schuster told The Associated Press. The book has yet to be titled and is tentatively scheduled for June 2014. Financial terms were not disclosed. Clinton reportedly received $8 million for the 2003 memoir, "Living History," also published by Simon & Schuster.
"Hillary Clinton's extraordinary public service has given her a unique perspective on recent history and the challenges we face," Jonathan Karp, president and publisher of the Simon & Schuster Publishing Group and the book's editor, said in a statement last week. "This will be the ultimate book for people who are interested in world affairs and America's place in the world today."
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