Hillary Clinton officially announces her candidacy in the 2016 Presidential race

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) – It’s finally official. Hillary Clinton formally announced her candidacy for the 2016 presidential race on Sunday.

The former secretary of state, senator and first lady’s presidential race began with a video message on social media, which will be followed by visits to the early-primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire later this month.

A new epilogue was added to her 2014 memoir, “Hard Choices,” which says, “I’m more convinced than ever that our future in the 21st century depends on our ability to ensure that a child born in the hills of Appalachia or the Mississippi Delta or the Rio Grande Valley grows up with the same shot at success … “

This, and other themes, will be included in her campaign that is referring to voters as, “Everyday Americans.”

Mrs. Clinton has made it clear that she will work hard for every single vote just as she did in 2006 for her seat in the Senate and in 2008 in the presidential preliminaries.

Her official announcement on Sunday really came as no surprise since she has hinted at her involvement in the presidential race for months.

“I’d like to bring people, from right, left, red, blue, get them into a nice, warm purple space where everybody’s talking and we’re actually trying to solve problems,” she said in an interview with Re/Code editor Kara Swisher following a speech she gave in early February in Silicon Valley.

Other Republican presidential hopefuls are doing their part to fire up the conservative base in preparation for a Clinton presidency. 

Republican candidates with visions of the White House include Texas Senator Ted Cruz who was the first to announce his candidacy, U.S. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who made his announcement earlier this week, U.S. Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who is expected to make his formal announcement sometime Monday, and Former Governor Jeb Bush, who has yet to make an official announcement.

Former Democratic Virginia U.S. Senator Jim Webb and Former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee have formally announced their presidential runs and many are waiting to see if Vice President Biden will make his own announcement.

Mrs. Clinton’s campaign team consists of 16 people. They each have campaign backgrounds in her Senate race as well as her husband, former President Bill Clinton’s race and President Barack Obama’s race.

The Consigliore: John Podesta is a former White House chief of staff for Bill Clinton and top counselor for President Obama.

The Manager: Robby Mook ran Mrs. Clinton’s 2008 campaign.

The Strategist: Joel Beneson was the lead pollster for President Obama’s campaign and re-election.

The Adman: Jim Margolis was a senior advisor to President Obama.

The Right-hand man: Marlon Marshall worked on Mrs. Clinton’s first presidential run.

The Fundraiser: Dennis Cheng was the chief developer on The Clinton Foundation.

The Gate-keeper: Huma Abedin is one of Mrs. Clinton’s most trusted aides.

The Wonk: Jake Sullivan became the youngest director of policy in department history in 2012.

The Protector: Cheryl Mills served as Mrs. Clinton’s chief of staff at the State Department.

The Enforcer: Philippe Reines was Mrs. Clinton’s senior advisor at the State Department.

The Communicator: Jennifer Palmieri last served as President Obama’s communications director.

The Image Maven: Kristina Schake currently works as Michelle Obama’s communications director.

The Brain: Neera Tanden is the head for the Center of American Progress and has worked with Mrs. Clinton since 1997.

The Institutionalist: Mandy Grunwald has worked with the Clintons since 1992 and played a key role in Bill Clinton’s presidential race.

The Politico: Amanda Rentena was the first Latina chief of staff on Capitol Hill.

And the Techie: Stephanie Hannon worked as the director of product management for civic innovation for Google and left that position to work for the Clinton Campaign. 

 The “Ready for Hillary” group, which began in 2013, has amassed a donor group of about 135,000 people. Now that she is officially campaigning, Ready for Hillary can release the names of those who have donated or raised more than $5,000 on her behalf. 

This could potentially give her a sizable head start in the race to the Oval Office.