WASHINGTON — Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential prospects got a big hometown boost Saturday when Sen. Chuck Schumer told an Iowa crowd: “Run, Hillary, run!”
“It’s time for a woman to be president,” Schumer (D-NY) told a crowd of Democratic faithful at the annual Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner in Des Moines — a key event on the presidential-candidate circuit.
“That’s why I am urging Hillary Clinton to run for president and, when she does, she will have my full and unwavering support,” Schumer declared — using language strongly suggesting Clinton will jump into the race.
Although Clinton has been coy about her future since leaving the administration at the beginning of the year, Schumer, a longtime ally, didn’t hold back, saying: “2016 is Hillary’s time. And our nation will be all the better for it,” according to prepared remarks.
Schumer made his surprising declaration at the same annual dinner, and in the same venue, where Barack Obama stunned the crowd during the 2008 campaign with his own rousing speech, dramatically upstaging Clinton.
He didn’t lay claim to being an official surrogate for Clinton – or say that she knew he would be calling for her to jump into the race.
A source said Schumer doesn’t have advance knowledge of Clinton’s plans and didn’t give Clinton a heads-up on his speech. “He’s making the endorsement tonight in hopes that it will help encourage her to end up running,” said the source.
But Schumer’s unwavering tone is certain to be interpreted in DC — and among influential delegates, county chairs, and activists in Iowa and elsewhere — as meaning that she’s girding to run again.
One prominent New York political consultant, Hank Sheinnkopf, saw the endorsement as a blow to Vice President Joe Biden, who has been signaling he’d make his own run for the presidency.
“It is like a saw cutting out the ground beneath Joe Biden,” Sheinnkopf said.
“Once Shumer rolls, others will do similar things,” he predicted. “They don’t want a primary. They want a clear shot at the White House,” he said.
“It’s extremely good for Hillary,” he added. “It also helps Schumer. She’s the front-runner today. this makes Schumer an even more public national leader of Democrats.”
A top member of the Senate Democratic leadership, Schumer is the most prominent Clinton ally to come out with an early endorsement. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) has also publicly urged Clinton, an overwhelming front-runner in early polling, to get in the race.
Iowa is tough terrain for Clinton. Its first-in-the-nation caucuses are dominated by party activists on the left — some of the same people who were searching for an alternative candidate in 2008. Obama’s stunning upset there — Clinton came in third — rocked the primary race and set the stage for his ultimate triumph.
“You know her well: as First Lady, Senator, Secretary and as a wife and mother. Hillary’s experience is unrivaled and her vision is unparalleled,” Schumer gushed Saturday night.
“Suffice to say, in 2008, the time was right for Barack Obama. He has successfully navigated this country through some choppy waters and he will continue to do so for the next three years.”
Strapping on his cheerleader uniform, Schumer told the crowd: “Run, Hillary, run. If you run, you’ll win and we’ll all win.”
Schumer, who also backed Clinton in 2008, brought a bit of borscht belt to the farm belt, joking about his own run for president — of the student council.
“You see, I actually have run for president once before. In junior high. It was a good, clean campaign. We met the voters over chocolate milk and tater tots; we focused on the issues. I think we raised the level of discourse in the cafeteria and on the playground,” he joked.
“But, when I eventually lost to Mady Gilson — not that I still remember her name — but when I lost to her, I said then as I say now: It’s time for a woman to be president.”
Schumer even took a shot at one of Clinton’s possible GOP rivals – Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who became a darling of the Tea Party faction with his failed filibuster to try to dismantle Obamacare.
“With a strong platform and with Hillary leading the charge, we will vanquish the Ted Cruz, Tea Party Republicans in 2016,” Schumer concluded.