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Clinton's schedule for announcing a presidential run has changed throughout the fall
The most recent reporting suggests she won't announce until after paid speeches wrap next year
If you feel like you’ve been hearing different dates about when Hillary Clinton will announce her run for the presidency, it’s not just you.
Democrats – some who are close to Clinton, have been close to Clinton or want to be close to Clinton – are willing to talk about it, even if very few people besides the former secretary of state are familiar with her thinking.
This variable has made the when-will-she-announce question a moving target for reporters this fall.
Most recently, Politico reported Wednesday that Clinton is not expected to form an exploratory committee “until well after January 1” and that her “speech schedule indicates 2016 announcement may be months away.”
This comes shortly after organizers announced last week that Clinton has added a number of seemingly paid speeches to her calendar, including two in Canada for late January and one in Silicon Valley in February. It’s unlikely that Clinton would announce her candidacy before or during the midst of those paid speeches.
Here’s a sampling of reports from the moving target that is Clinton’s announcement date:
The New York Times, Nov. 6: Midterms, for Clinton Team, Aren’t All Gloom - “Over the past few days, a consensus formed among those close to Mrs. Clinton that it is time to accelerate her schedule …”
The Hill, Nov. 12: Clinton in no hurry to announce 2016 plans - “Sources in Clinton World say while there’s been some chatter about an earlier-than-expected announcement, given the Democratic midterm thumping, Clinton is likely to stick to the timeline of making her plans known early next year.”
NBC News, Nov. 17: Democrats Ready for Post-Holiday Clinton Announcement - “Hillary Clinton is expected to announce in January that she will run for president, Democratic sources say. … She is expected to begin preparation for a campaign over the next two months.”
And CNN has received similar reports from inside Clinton’s circle.
Some sources tell CNN that if Clinton runs – many still include this caveat – her announcement will come in January 2015, much like she declared in January 2007 for her 2008 run. Others have said, however, that the former secretary of state is likely to wait later into the cycle to declare because there is no upside to getting in early.
“If she hasn’t said no by January, it will be a sign she is running,” said one former Clinton aide at last month’s Ready for Hillary strategy session in New York, suggesting that if she had plans to get out of the race she would want to give Democrats enough time to ready other candidates.
“I think she has the time as she makes her decision,” said Stephanie Schriock, head of Emily’s List and a woman reportedly on the shortlist to be Clinton’s campaign manager.
Clinton has also given an array of answers on the issue.
In Ottawa in October Clinton said that she will “think hard about it in a way you make a decision until after these elections,” referring to the midterms. Earlier in the year, Clinton said she would make her decision “after the first of the year.”