has set out for a tour of key states, at the
start of her campaign to become the first
woman US president.
She is taking a road trip to meet small
groups of voters in Iowa, after announcing
her presidency bid in an online video on
Sunday.
She had been expected to declare her
candidacy for months
Mrs Clinton ran for the Democratic
presidential nomination in 2008 but lost to
Barack Obama.
'Listening tour'
A few hours into her journey from New York,
Mrs Clinton tweeted: "Road trip! Loaded the
van & set off for IA. Met a great family when
we stopped this afternoon. Many more to
come. -H."
Mrs Clinton is expected to officially kick
off her campaign with a rally in mid-May
Mrs Clinton's team said she would spend
the next few weeks building up grassroots
support in the early Democratic primary
states.
Her first rally, to officially kick off her
campaign, is not expected until mid-May.
But her trip to Iowa is to be a "listening
tour" where Mrs Clinton will meet voters at
low-key events.
Later this week, she is expected to meet
groups of students, teachers and small
business owners.
On Sunday, Mrs Clinton launched her
campaign website and declared in a video
that she was running for president.
"Americans have fought their way back from
tough economic times," she said, "but the
deck is still stacked in favour of those at the
top.
She added that she wanted to be a champion
for "everyday Americans".
The video features a number of Americans
talking about their hopes and aspirations.
Analysis: Gary O'Donoghue, BBC
News, Des Moines, Iowa
The launch of Hillary Clinton's campaign for
the presidency was meant to be low-key.
It was meant to reflect the idea that it was
all about ordinary Americans and the
everyday concerns of the middle class.
But whether she likes it or not, Mrs Clinton
is a huge name in politics and reinventing
herself as the embodiment of change won't
be easy.
True, she is unlikely to face any stiff
competition from her own side for the
nomination, but Republicans have been
unrelenting in their attacks on her and that
will only increase.
She will also have to find a convincing
vision for America that will capture the
imagination of the voters.
Elections are usually about the future and
Mrs. Clinton has to prove that she's not all
about the past.
Twitter reaction
Is this Hillary Clinton's time?
Mrs Clinton has already had the backing of
Mr Obama, who said on Saturday that she
would make an "excellent president".
But the attacks from Republicans have
already started.
Jeb Bush, former Florida Governor and
brother of George W Bush who expected to
stand as a Republican candidate, tweeted:
"We must do better than Hillary."
In his own online video on Sunday, he
focused on foreign policy, saying: "We must
do better than the Obama-Clinton foreign
policy that has damaged relationships with
our allies and emboldened our enemies."
Another Republican presidential contender.
Rand Paul, also criticised Mrs Clinton for
her handling of a September 2012 attack on
a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi,
Libya, in which the US ambassador was
among those killed.
He also said questions remained about
funds received by a charity set up by Mr and
Mrs Clinton.
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