The Clintons' political history will play a big part in her 2016 presidential campaign, but the early emphasis has been elsewhere. The most famous man in her life, former President Bill Clinton, only comes up in passing. In New Hampshire, where her husband remains popular, Hillary Clinton smiled when a community college instructor recalled the bullish economy during her husband's two terms."I remember!" she said.
Bill Clinton has avoided discussing the campaign so far, saying at Georgetown University on Tuesday, "For obvious reasons, I don't intend to talk much about electoral politics," though he was a vigorous and at times problematic presence in his wife's 2008 campaign, which ended when she lost the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama.
This time, Hillary Clinton faces little opposition so far for the nomination. She would face the winner of a crowded contest for the Republican nomination, where no overwhelming front-runner has so far emerged.
Aides say Bill Clinton will stay behind the scenes initially and that Hillary Clinton's focus on her parents and grandchild allow her to fill in other aspects of her biography. Invoking Bill Clinton, who has high approval ratings, can bring up positives from his administration, such as a strong economy, but at the risk of revisiting the Monica Lewinsky scandal and subsequent impeachment drama.
In campaign kickoff events in the early voting states of Iowa and New Hampshire, Clinton shared stories with voters about the lesser-known members of her family: her father's work running a small textile business in Chicago, her mother's hardscrabble upbringing and what the future may hold for baby Charlotte's generation. Taken together, the biographical sketches animate her pitch to middle-class families.
"When I think about my dad, it was a lot easier in those days to have an idea, to get what you needed and to go to work," Clinton said at a New Hampshire furniture factory this week, describing obstacles for small businesses. In Iowa, she remembered her father, Hugh Rodham Sr., as a "waste-not-want-not kind of guy" whose fabric drapery business provided for her family.
Hillary Clinton has held small gatherings as part of a soft campaign launch aiming to re-introduce her to voters. For the woman everyone knows, the idea is to show a side of Clinton often obscured during her first presidential bid, when she ran on a mantle of experience and Margaret Thatcher-style tough leadership.
The approach pushes back against months of scrutiny over Clinton's six-figure speaking fees, use of private jets and foreign donations to her family's foundation, a theme Republicans intend to promote.
"She can talk all she wants, but New Hampshire voters know the truth is that she's an elitist politician," said Jennifer Horn, chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party.
Foremost on the family tree is Clinton's mother, Dorothy Rodham, who died in 2011. Clinton tells audiences her mother was abandoned as a girl and forced to live with strict grandparents, who forbade her from activities like eating at the kitchen table or playing in the yard. Her mother taught her about never quitting and kindness, Clinton says, an influence that led her to become an advocate for women and children.
Charlotte, born in September, is a frequent topic. "I have this new granddaughter and I want her to have every opportunity, but I want every child in our country to have every opportunity," Clinton said.
The family talk can also lead to unforced errors. In Iowa, Clinton said "all my grandparents" came to the United States as immigrants. BuzzFeed, an online news outlet, noted census records that showed only one of her grandparents immigrated to the U.S.; the other three were born here. Clinton's campaign said her grandparents had always spoken of the "immigrant experience" and she had always thought of them as immigrants.
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