Clinton may not announce decision on White House bid until 2015

USPA News - Hillary Clinton will make a decision on whether to run for the White House in 2016 by the end of this year, but any announcement on her decision for the presidential election may not come until next year, the former first lady and secretary of state has said. Clinton, who is favored by a vast majority of Democrats to participate in the 2016 presidential election, told ABC`s Diane Sawyer that she would not make any decision before the end of the year.

The comments were part of a one-hour interview that airs on ABC News on Monday evening. "You know, I`m going to decide when it feels right for me to decide," Clinton said in excerpts aired on Sunday. "I just want to kind of get through this year, travel around the country, sign books, help in the midterm elections in the fall, and then take a deep breath and kind of go through my pluses and minuses about what I will - and will not - be thinking about as I make the decision." The interview is part of Clinton`s media tour ahead of Tuesday`s release of her new memoir, "Hard Choices." But even though Clinton said she will make a decision by the end of the year, any public announcement on whether she will run for the White House may not come until next year. When asked whether a decision by the end of the year would mean no announcement until 2015, Clinton said: "I`m not positive about that. I think, the way I make decisions, that`s probably likely." Many Americans believe Clinton is certain to seek the Democratic nomination in the 2016 presidential race, which Sawyer noted might place other Democratic politicians at a disadvantage. But Clinton brushed off any suggestions that the Democratic Party is "frozen in place" until the former secretary of state makes her decision. "People can do whatever they choose to do on whatever timetable they decide," she said. "I mean, Bill Clinton started running for president officially in like, September-October of 1991. I just don`t think that`s a real concern. People will do what they think is best for them and whether they choose to seek the presidency or not is very personal for everybody." 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. A Gallup poll in February showed a clear majority of Americans - about 59 percent - view Clinton favorably. In addition to that, the independent "Ready For Hillary PAC" has amassed nearly 2 million supporters on Facebook and Twitter since it was founded in January 2013 to encourage Clinton to run for president. Prominent figures such as former White House aide Rahm Emanuel, 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. Late last month, Obama praised Clinton as his "buddy" and said she would be a "very effective" president if she decides to run for the White House and wins the election. "I always admired her, as soon as she got here she couldn`t have been more effective, more loyal, and since that time we`ve become really, really good friends, and I think that... I don`t know what`s she`s going to decide to do, but I know that if she were to run for president, I think she would be very effective at that," Obama said.