Longtime Clinton Adviser Philippe Reines: Non-Zero Chance Hillary Runs in 2020

Politico’s Annie Karni is out with a new profile of Hillary Clinton that assesses a conundrum for Democrats: the former secretary of state, senator and failed 2016 presidential candidate is “not going away.”

Unlike previous losing presidential candidates who have retreated into obscurity for at least the first few years of their opponents’ administrations, Clinton has maintained a public profile, giving talks and interviews and penning op-eds about the current “democracy in crisis.” Karni reported for Politico that Clinton has begun making overtures to political reporters, “putting out the occasional feeler” to those on the Trump beat.

And her recently announced 13-city speaking tour alongside Bill Clinton is sure to keep Hillary’s name in the headlines well into 2020 campaign season.

The Politico story ends with a curious comment from Philippe Reines, Clinton’s longtime former adviser, proposing her as a 2020 presidential candidate.

“It’s curious why Hillary Clinton’s name isn’t in the mix—either conversationally or in formal polling—as a 2020 candidate,” Reines told Politico. “She’s younger than Donald Trump by a year. She’s younger than Joe Biden by four years. Is it that she’s run before? This would be Bernie Sanders’ second time, and Biden’s third time. Is it lack of support? She had 65 million people vote for her.”

Reines was asked if his proposal meant Clinton would run in 2020.

“It’s somewhere between highly unlikely and zero,” he replied, “but it’s not zero.”

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