Hillary Launching New PAC, 2020 Rumors Quickly Follow

Hillary Clinton is ready to wade back into the world of politics by preparing to launch a new political action committee aimed at opposing President Donald Trump. The group will likely be called Onward Together, and will employ many of the same people who worked alongside the Clintons during the 2016 campaign. Without fail, the foray back into politics has fueled speculation that Hillary might still be considering a presidential run in 2020.

Politico reports on the latest Clinton endeavor:

The former secretary of state is building a new political group to fund organizations working on the resistance to President Donald Trump’s agenda, spending recent weeks in Washington, New York City, and Chappaqua, N.Y., meeting with donors and potential groups to invest in, and recruiting individuals for the group’s board of directors, multiple people close to the two-time White House hopeful and people familiar with the group’s planning told POLITICO.

She is looking to launch the group, expected to be called Onward Together — a nod to her campaign slogan, Stronger Together — as soon as next week, they say. Clinton’s spokesman declined to comment for this story.

Clinton has been working with Dennis Cheng, her campaign’s finance director who was previously the Clinton Foundation’s chief development officer, to bring donors into the fold.

Despite the obvious possibility of building a PAC to propel a future campaign, Hillary denies that the group is being formed as vehicle for future political ambitions:

Hillary Clinton soon will launch a PAC as a way of “acting as a quiet catalyst” for organizations she cares about, and eventually will help 2018 congressional candidates — but with no intention of making it a vehicle to run for anything herself. [Emphasis added]

According to a source familiar with the planning, the initial focus will be on lifting up organizations that are the product of the energy and activism she has seen since the election, and existing groups that have been reignited and reinvigorated by that energy. She has met with some of these groups, and it’s something she’s become increasingly passionate about with each meeting, the source said.

Sure, there is “no intention” to use this group for the Hillary’s aspirations down the road, but that possibility will always exist. Some analysts still keep her name in the hat for a possible 2020 presidential run challenging Donald Trump again. I just don’t see that happening, especially since I think she’d face stiffer resistance from within the Democratic Party this time around than she did in 2016. There are too many younger Democratic politicians with no baggage and better campaign skills available who haven’t been under FBI investigation, why would rank-and-file Democratic voters want to run Hillary for president again when better options exist?

However, I could absolutely see her in politics for something like a Senate seat, which she previously held in New York, or perhaps even something like running for Mayor of New York City. She’d be an instant front runner in either case, and the voter demographics are much easier for Democrats in the deep blue state. This way she would keep her voice in the mix and retain some public persona without the burden of a Presidential run.

In the meantime, she can use this new PAC to direct funding to races around the country and likely help Democrats in 2018 during the all-important midterms.