Hillary Clinton has officially announced she is running for president, ending months of rumors, anticipation and questions of "Will she or won't she?," CNN reported.
The former Secretary of State announced her bid for the Democrat nomination - she ran for the same bid in 2008 and lost - on Sunday in a YouTube video, a move reflecting Clinton's focus on social media in an attempt to appeal to younger voters.
"I'm getting ready to do something too. I'm running for president," Clinton said. "Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion - so you can do more than just get by, you can get ahead. And stay ahead.
"Because when families are strong, America is strong," Clinton continued. "So I'm hitting the road to earn your vote, because it's your time. And I hope you'll join me on this journey."
Clinton's start is more low-key than her Republican counterpart Rand Paul, who began his presidential campaign last week with a major speech in front of supporters at a rally in his native Kentucky.
Over the next few weeks, Clinton will "spend her time engaging directly with voters" in Iowa among other early primary states, her staff said, according to CNN. The focus will be on the former first lady's backstory, her early years in the Midwest and her life as a mother to shed a more relatable light than the first time she ran.
But recent controversies - namely her using a personal email account instead of an official one during her time as secretary of state - have given Republicans added ammunition in their attacks on the Democratic presidential hopeful.
Some conservatives likened Clinton to President Barack Obama as a supporter of "big government" and also as a politician unable to connect with everyday people, CNN noted.
The accusations "ultimately have to lead to questions that Hillary can't answer," former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said, according to CNN.
"I think if we keep her in a situation where she can never do a press conference and she can never take questions, she shrinks. I am pretty optimistic that she will shrink steadily throughout the next year," Gingrich said.
Despite the attacks, Republicans realize the high probability Clinton will win her party's nomination for the 2016 presidency this time around.
The odds of her being passed over for the nomination, according to Republican National Committee Communications Director Sean Spicer, are the same as him "getting struck by lightning riding a unicorn."
