In what may possibly be the most unexpected way of confirming a rumour that lurked around for years, Hillary Clinton has confirmed her Presidential bid via Twitter. She used her account on the microblogging website to let everyone know she's running for President in the 2016 election on Sunday, just like several media outlets had been reporting since last week. But this might have not been how she planned to do it.
Here's the deal: her aide John Podesta made a rookie mistake by sending an email to all the addresses in the mailing list collected from the 2008 campaign, the Clinton alumni.
It stated, "I wanted to make sure you heard it first from me - it's official: Hillary's running for president." It went on saying the former secretary of State, former senator and former First Lady will hit the road to "start talking directly with voters."
The email made its way to social media, of course, and it took Hillary less than an hour to confirm it on her verified account. "I'm running for president. Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion. -H." Ten hours later, the tweet had more than 91,500 retweets and 86,500 favourites. It also had a lot of replies. Fans of the former First Lady thanked her and said she had their vote. Critics replied that she shouldn't run because she's evil, her husband is evil or both.
There was even an appearance by the grammar police, when someone suggested she should've written "every day."
What's also already live is the official site for her campaign, at hillaryclinton.com. It has a promotional video, a call for action in the form of donations or volunteering and a section with her story. It recounts her many high profile positions - from First Lady when Bill Clinton was president to senator from New York - and other professional accomplishments, as law professor and practicing lawyer.
It speaks to the heart too, adding "but the first things her friends and family will tell you is that she's never forgotten where she came from or who she's been fighting for throughout her life."
Her bid will now capitalise on the momentum that has been building, with large donations, a lot of followers – 3,3 million followers on Twitter alone – and a kick off in Iowa, according to Podesta's email.