Hillary Clinton Election Announcement Takes The Political World By Surprise
Bill and Hillary Clinton are back on the campaign trail as Democrats work to turn out voters ahead of the November 3 midterms, bringing familiar names from the party’s past into a campaign shaped by internal debate over its future.
Bill Clinton campaigned in Hollywood, Florida, on October 20 with Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Jolly. Hillary Clinton has been making campaign appearances and launched a six-week midterm podcast series with journalist Kara Swisher.
Their return comes as progressive and Democratic Socialist-backed candidates have won several prominent Democratic primaries, challenging contenders supported by party leaders. Strategists differ on how much the Clintons can help. Kevin Walling told Fox News that Bill Clinton remains an effective communicator with working-class voters, while stressing that Democrats are not seeking a return to the Clinton era.
“They’re looking for a path back to winning,” Walling said, describing veteran figures as potential contributors rather than models for the party’s next generation. Strategist Mally Smith said the Clintons’ appeal is strongest among committed Democrats and politically engaged voters.
Bill Clinton’s Florida appearance backed Jolly, a former Republican congressman who left the GOP and won the Democratic nomination. Jolly is challenging Republican Rep. Byron Donalds to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis. His campaign has emphasized affordability, including property insurance costs, Medicaid, public-school funding and abortion rights.
Florida has not elected a Democratic governor since Lawton Chiles won reelection in 1994. Republicans have also brought national figures into the contest: Vice President JD Vance campaigned in the state for Donalds and Republican Sen. Ashley Moody. Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders is backing Senate nominee Angie Nixon, who is challenging Moody, while Sens. Chris Murphy and Ruben Gallego have also campaigned with Nixon.
Bill Clinton has continued to support Democratic candidates since leaving the White House in 2001, though his campaign schedule has varied. After several appearances late in the 2022 midterms, he took a more active role in 2024, traveling on behalf of then-Vice President Kamala Harris and other Democrats.
Hillary Clinton’s podcast, “High Stakes,” debuted October 14 as part of Swisher’s “On With Kara Swisher.” The opening episode covered the cost of groceries, gasoline and health care, Elon Musk’s political spending, Democratic affordability messaging and Senate races in Michigan and Maine. The series is scheduled to release weekly episodes through mid-November.
“I don’t think the stakes for our country and the world have ever been higher than they are in November,” Hillary Clinton said when announcing the project.
She also campaigned in Omaha on October 10 at a fundraiser supporting Nebraska Democrats, including gubernatorial candidate Lynne Walz and congressional candidate Denise Powell.