Former US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton has formally entered the 2016 race for the White House in a bid
to become the first woman US president.
She launched her campaign website on Sunday, telling Americans she wanted to be their "champion".
Mrs Clinton ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008 but lost to Barack Obama.
The overwhelming Democratic favourite, she had been expected to declare her candidacy for months.
In a video on her website, Mrs Clinton declared: "I am 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.
"Everyday Americans need a champion and I want to be that champion," she added.
The video features a number of Americans talking about their hopes and aspirations.
It
ends with Mrs Clinton saying: "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".
Mrs Clinton is now expected to travel to Iowa and New Hampshire, two early primary contests in the 2016 race.
Analysis - Anthony Zurcher, BBC North America reporter, Washington DC
This
time around, Mrs Clinton's path to the Democratic nomination appears
much easier. Unlike 2008 there's no inspirational, once-in-a-generation
opponent like Mr Obama waiting in the wings.
But if Mrs Clinton's
nomination campaign will be easier, actually winning the presidency
could be just as difficult - or more so.
Unlike 2008, the
Democratic nominee will be defending eight years of her party's rule,
with all the baggage that comes with it, and a Republican Party no
longer on its heels. Is this Hillary Clinton's time? Mr
Obama praised her, saying at a news conference at the Americas summit
in Panama on Saturday that she would make an "excellent president".
And
her successor in the post, John Kerry, called her a "good friend",
telling ABC's This Week programme she "did a terrific job of rebuilding
alliances that had been shredded over the course of the prior years".
'Above the law'
But Republican presidential contender Rand Paul 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.
"There
is a history of the Clintons feeling they are above the law," the
Kentucky senator said on CNN's State of the Union programme.
Two
prominent Republicans have officially entered the race for their party's
nomination - Mr Paul and Texas senator Ted Cruz. Former Florida
governor Jeb Bush is another frontrunner.
Hillary Clinton - her Washington career so far
Tried to reform US healthcare during
husband Bill's first term as president (1993-1997) but her plan never
reached a vote in Congress
Stood by her husband when his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky was exposed, 1997-98
Elected as Democratic senator for New York, 2000
Voted in favour of the Iraq war in 2003 but later distanced herself from the war
Ran for the Democratic nomination in 2008 but conceded in favour of Barack Obama
Served as US secretary of state 2009-2013
Embroiled in controversy over the attack on a US consulate in Benghazi, Libya in 2012
Investigated by the State Department for her use of a private email server, circumventing legal requirements
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