They’d kept him off the trail for months, but Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign is finally deploying former President Bill Clinton, accepting the political risks he brings as worthy tradeoff if he can shore up support for his wife among longtime Democrats and build enthusiasm among Hispanic and black voters.
The man who just months ago said he’d be little more than a backstage adviser is now out doing interviews defending Mrs. Clinton and dabbling in critiques of the GOP presidential field.
And his October schedule is shaping up to be his most high-profile on the campaign trail so far. He headlined a West Virginia Democratic Party Jefferson Jackson Dinner Friday, and is traveling out to Michigan to fundraise on October 7. He’s already notched fundraising appearances in Kansas City and Atlanta.
“[Hillary’s] campaign has not been the easy road people thought it was going to be,” said Robert Shrum, the Democratic consultant who worked on the failed campaigns of John Kerry and Al Gore. “And Bill can be a very effective surrogate. You’d be crazy not to use him.”
Using him, however, involves risks, as Mrs. Clinton found out during her failed 2008 bid, when the former president was front and center, walking parade routes with her in Iowa and New Hampshire, introducing her stump speeches and playing attack dog with the media and the other candidates in the race, most notably then-Sen. Barack Obama.
The plan backfired as Mrs. Clinton was sometimes upstaged at her own events by her charismatic husband.
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The former president had several gaffes, such as when Mr. Clinton seemed to minimize Mr. Obama’s victory in the South Carolina primary or called Mr. Obama’s antiwar position “the biggest fairy tale I’ve ever seen” — to which African-Americans took offense, saying he was likening Mr. Obama’s candidacy to a fantasy.
And Mr. Clinton’s own record became news, particularly when it clashed with his wife’s stances. In an interview with Charlie Rose he said he was against the Iraq War from the start, although his wife voted for it and was getting hammered on the campaign trail for that decision. Some political pundits openly questioned at the time if Mr. Clinton was intentionally trying to sabotage Mrs. Clinton’s candidacy.
Mr. Shrum says those mistakes won’t be repeated, and said Mr. Clinton proved his value in 2012 when he campaigned for Mr. Obama’s reelection.
“Bill’s very popular in the Democratic Party, and has particular popularity with Latinos, African-Americans and Democrats over the age of 35. He’s got real pull and can help her consolidate her base, which is what they’re trying to do right now,” Mr. Shrum said.
That could be particularly helpful if Vice President Joseph R. Biden enters the race, which Mr. Shrum said would essentially mean a restart to the campaign.
According to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, Mr. Biden is the most popular presidential candidate even though he hasn’t announced he’s running. What’s more is that Mrs. Clinton has seen her popularity drop — from 56 percent when she left the State Department in 2013 to 39 percent today.
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“Hillary’s numbers seem to be going down some, so if you’re ever going to engage Bill Clinton, now’s the time to do it,” said John W. Matthews, Mrs. Clinton’s South Carolina campaign co-chairman in 2008. “The former president has the capacity to explain things very simply and is very popular among not only African-Americans but Democrats and independents alike.”
Mrs. Clinton is already eyeing a South Carolina strategy to counter any victories that her chief rival right now, Sen. Bernard Sanders — and potentially Mr. Biden — would notch in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Her Southern strategy depends on the devotion of Hispanic and black voters — some of whom also have an alliance with Mr. Biden given his work for the first black president.
“Bill Clinton speaks Southern,” said Jim Manley, a Democratic strategist supporting Mrs. Clinton. “He’s a very important figure there.”
But Mr. Clinton’s first campaign interview this fall, with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, showed why he’s a lightning rod. He repeated a claim he’s made before that he got a call as Arkansas governor warning him not to challenge President George H.W. Bush in 1992.
“The press has to have someone every election,” Mr. Clinton said Bush aide Roger B. Porter told him. “We’re going to give them you. You better not run.”
The Washington Post has since disputed Mr. Clinton’s version of that call, quoting the man on the other end, Mr. Porter, as saying: “There is no shred of truth to it whatsoever. I never made such a call.”
But even at his most unpredictable and unscripted, Mr. Clinton is too valuable a resource to be sitting on the sidelines any longer.
“I have never seen a better politician than former President Clinton. He has an amazing ability to connect with people even if he’s only just met them,” said Mr. Manley. “Not only that, but he’s got a brilliant political mind and an amazing grasp on policy details as well.”
Still, he said it will be up to up to Mrs. Clinton to earn the nomination on her own merits.
“There is no more gifted politician than Bill Clinton, but in the end, it’s going to be Hillary Clinton’s campaign to win or lose,” said Mr. Manley. “She’s got to make the case herself and can’t leave it to anyone else, including her husband.”
• Kelly Riddell can be reached at kriddell@washingtontimes.com.
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