Ready for Hillary's activity surges ahead of campaign launch

As Hillary Clinton approaches her 2016 campaign kickoff, one of the main political action committees backing her is ramping up its activity, despite expectations that it would be quietly winding down by now.

Ready For Hillary has signed up at least one new member for its finance council — which the group defines as donors pledging between $5,000 and $25,000, the group’s self-imposed limit — every day since March 5, leaders of the group told POLITICO. It has also signed up over 70,000 new members for its email list in March.


The frenzy of activity comes as Clinton is fending off lingering questions over her use of a personal email server during her time as secretary of state as well as queries about her family foundation’s acceptance of foreign donations. The intensified interest in the PAC suggests her allies are rallying to support her ahead of an expected April announcement that she will run for president.

The new donors, many of whom are longtime Clinton supporters, are signing on despite election laws that prohibit Ready For Hillary from coordinating with any Clinton campaign machinery, meaning the money they give will not go directly to Clinton’s camp but rather to the PAC. Because there is no official Clinton campaign yet, Ready For Hillary is the most obvious vehicle for supporters to show they are behind her in this awkward time.

New members of the finance council, which holds regular calls with the group’s leadership, include Washington lobbyist Tony Podesta — the brother of Clinton’s expected campaign chairman, John Podesta — Adobe co-founder Chuck Geschke and his wife, Nan; former Trenton, New Jersey, Mayor Doug Palmer; and Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen.

When Ready For Hillary first launched, it rankled some Clinton allies who worried it projected an air of inevitability around the all-but-certain candidate. But Clinton insiders eventually embraced the group after recognizing its organizing potential. It has since spent much of its time and resources ensuring that a pro-Clinton network has a presence in early voting states like New Hampshire and Iowa.

Executive Director Adam Parkhomenko said the group’s email list currently stands at over 3.6 million subscribers and that he expects it to reach 4 million by the time Clinton 2016 is official. The list is regarded by many as the most valuable possession of Ready For Hillary because it represents the most up-to-date roster of Clinton’s potential voters, volunteers and contributors.

Clinton has no public events scheduled in the coming days, ratcheting up speculation that her 2016 announcement is imminent. No new Democratic challenger to Clinton has emerged since questions arose about her unusual email arrangement while at the State Department, but more party activists have begun agitating for a competitive primary, believing Clinton could use a challenge before facing the eventual Republican nominee.

Clinton herself has also become more publicly engaged in politics over the past month, making it easier for Ready For Hillary to capitalize. She has recently sent a series of tweets criticizing congressional Republicans, and the group often follows these up with fundraising emails of its own, either quoting Clinton or promoting a related issue to its list, which includes voters who might not follow Clinton on Twitter.

Ready For Hillary intends to continue spending the funds from its new donors, opting to pay for Clinton-themed posters and mailings rather than building up its coffers. Once the Clinton campaign is official, Ready For Hillary expects to start shutting down its operations.

“[The donors] want to make sure we can give her all the time that she needs,” explained Parkhomenko, previewing the plan to spend close to all the money by the time Clinton does announce her intentions. “We’ll be as close to zero [dollars] as we can, but it’s a balance not knowing when she’s going to do that.”