Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel endorses Hillary Clinton for president

USPA News - Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a former White House aide to Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, on Friday endorsed Hillary Clinton for president by joining a group that is urging the former secretary of state to participate in the 2016 election. Emanuel, who served as a senior advisor to Bill Clinton and chief of staff for Obama, praised Hillary Clinton as an "effective leader" who he believes is able to move the country forward.

He will headline two events for the independent "Ready For Hillary PAC" in Chicago on June 5 to show his support. "Hillary is smart, she`s determined, and most importantly, she is a champion for the American people," Emanuel said in Friday`s endorsement. "I`m proud to make my support for her official, and I`m even prouder to join more than two million Americans encouraging her to run." The Ready For Hillary PAC has amassed nearly 2 million supporters on Facebook and Twitter since it was founded in January 2013. Prominent figures such as Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill and former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom are among those who have urged Clinton to run in 2016. "When I worked with her in the White House, I saw what an effective leader she was -- like when she spoke out on women`s rights in Beijing and when she played an instrumental role in passing the Children`s Health Insurance Program," Emanuel explained. "I`ve seen firsthand how Hillary has inspired women and men, and girls and boys, here in America and across the globe, and I know that as president, she would continue to move our country forward." Clinton, 66, has been an enduring figure on the U.S. political stage since she was introduced to the American public during Bill Clinton`s 1992 presidential campaign. She became first lady during her husband`s presidency from 1993 until 2001, after which she ran for the U.S. Senate and won, making her the only first lady to have ever been elected to public office. During her second term in the U.S. Senate, Clinton announced her candidacy for the 2008 presidential election, winning more primaries and delegates than any other female candidate in American history but eventually losing the Democratic nomination to U.S. Senator Barack Obama, who went on to win the election. Obama later chose Clinton to serve as his secretary of state, which she did until the beginning of Obama`s second term as president. Clinton`s decision to step down as secretary of state at the beginning of Obama`s second term was seen by many as a sign that Clinton would use the time to prepare for an eventual White House run in 2016. Clinton has not confirmed she will seek the Democratic nomination for president for the 2016 election, but told ABC News that she expects to make a decision later this year, possibly after November`s congressional elections. A Gallup poll in February showed a clear majority of Americans - about 59 percent - view Clinton favorably.