Celebrity Hillary Clinton Officially Joins the 2016 Presidential Race The former secretary of state made her announcement on Sunday By Maria Mercedes Lara Maria Mercedes Lara Instagram Twitter Maria Mercedes Lara is the Digital Content Operations Director for PEOPLE, where she oversees content management and editorial workflow for the digital team as well as focus on increasing growth through PEOPLE's newsletters, homepage and notification audiences. She previously held the position of Deputy News Director for PEOPLE.com. Before joining PEOPLE, Maria worked at POPSUGAR, SpinMedia Group and Jezebel. She graduated with a B.A. in Literature from Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at the New School in New York City. Maria currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and two children. People Editorial Guidelines Published on April 12, 2015 02:55 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Hillary Clinton has made it official. The former secretary of state announced that she will be seeking the nomination for President of the United States on Sunday with a campaign video on her official website. The spot opens with various people talking about their hopes for 2015, ending with Clinton saying, “I’m getting ready to do something too. I’m running for President.” “Americans have fought their way back from tough economic times, but the deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top,” she continues. “Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion. So you can do more than just get by, you can get ahead and stay ahead.” Clinton’s run for the presidency will hardly come as a surprise. The politician has long been hyped as the Democratic front-runner for the 2016 election. This marks Clinton’s second time vying for the presidency. She first ran during the 2008 election, but lost the Democratic ticket to then-junior senator Barack Obama. Clinton later served on Obama’s cabinet, working as the secretary of state from the start of his presidency in 2009 through Feb. 1, 2013. When Clinton, 67, left her position in 2013, political watchers took it as a sign that the former first lady was preparing for her own campaign in 2016. Her announcement makes her the first major candidate to seek out the Democratic nomination. On the Republican side, Senator Ted Cruz, from Texas, and Senator Rand Paul, from Kentucky, have already thrown their hats into the ring. Given Clinton’s high profile (and the fact that her candidacy has been speculated about for years), she has become a major target for both other Democratic hopeful nominees and Republicans. The past few months haven’t been without scandal. In March, she admitted to using a private email address while working as the secretary of state because it was “convenient.” While the politician said that she was “allowed” to use her personal email, critics took issue with the fact that it caused an issue for journalists requesting records through the Freedom of Information Act and Benghazi investigators who have subpoenaed Clinton. Watch These Children Freak Out as Bees Upstage President Obama More on Hillary Clinton: • Hillary Clinton Officially Joins the 2016 Presidential Race• Inside Hillary Clinton’s Decision to Run: ‘We Need to Break Down the Highest, Hardest Glass Ceiling’• Barack Obama Offers Advice to Hillary Clinton for Her 2016 Run• What Should We Call Bill If Hillary Wins? He Has Some Ideas