Senator Hillary Clinton first announced her decision to run for president in 2007, one month before incumbent president Barack Obama.
She was unable to secure the Democratic Party nomination, but went on to receive 18 million votes after winning the New Hampshire primary election.
Now, as President Obama nears the end of his second term, Clinton has once again thrown her hat into the ring.
Following her tenure as Secretary of State she has enjoyed a broader sweep of appeal with early endorsements from the Democrats.
After graduating from Wellesley College with a major in political science, she entered Yale Law School and began dating fellow student Bill Clinton.
Bill Clinton was elected Governor of Arkansas in 1978, having defeated the Republican candidate Lynn Lowe.
Many years later, while running for president in 1992, her husband said that the nation would get “two for the price of one” if he was elected. Hillary went on to become a U.S. senator near the end of her term as First Lady.
She then became Secretary of State, the highest-ranking appointed executive branch official, in 2009, succeeding Condoleezza Rice.
Clinton has a wealth of experience to bring to the 2016 presidential election. She sat on the board of directors of Wal-Mart, visited more countries than any other Secretary of State and has authored 5 books.
She has proposed programs to raise minimum wage, provide universal healthcare and protect the rights of the LGBT community. Her stance on most social policies works to continue and improve upon the momentum of the Obama administration.
Once president of the Wellesley Young Republicans, Clinton now supports stem cell research, wildlife preservation and net neutrality
Clinton described herself as “a mind conservative and a heart liberal” before leaving the Republican Party in 1968.
Although a strong liberal leader, she is not without her own demons.
Some critics have labelled her actions during the Lewinsky scandal, her decision to remain married to Bill after he was caught cheating, as a decision based on her desire to maintain a stronger political influence.
They claim that she received her highest approval ratings not for her professional achievements, but for being seen as a victim of infidelity.
Hillary has also been criticized for violating gender norms as she wishes to become the first female president of the United States with the first First Gentleman Bill Clinton.
An often polarizing figure, Hillary Clinton appears to be the greatest threat to Republicans in the 2016 primaries as support from Obama during his presidency will aid her journey to the White House and pave it with gold.