Secretary of State Hilary Clinton  arrives for the inauguration on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Monday, Jan. 21, 2013 in Washington, D.C. Credit: Courtesy of TNS

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton arrives for the inauguration on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on Monday, Jan. 21, 2013 in Washington, D.C. Credit: Courtesy of TNS

Former Secretary of State and Sen. Hillary Clinton announced Sunday that she intends to run for president in the 2016 election.

“Americans have fought their way back from tough economic times, but the deck is still stacked in favor of those at the top,” Clinton said in a campaign video published on her website. “Everyday Americans need a champion, and I want to be that champion.”

Clinton’s announcement comes after almost two years of speculation that she would once again run for president. She previously ran in the 2008 presidential election, but did not win the party’s nomination.

Some Ohio State students had mixed reactions to Clinton’s announcement Sunday afternoon.

Vincent Hayden, a fourth-year in political science who previously served as executive director of the College Democrats, said he is a supporter of Clinton and is excited about the bid announcement, but that this is just one step on the long road to win the party’s nomination.

“We’re definitely excited that we’re getting top-tier candidates to run as Democrats, and Hillary Clinton has a huge history of being a very significant supporter of progressive causes,” Hayden said.

He added that he thinks Clinton is capable of handling international issues, as well as domestic issues, such as preserving and extending the Affordable Healthcare Act.

“She brings credibility to the office. She has a lot of experience from her years in the Senate to being secretary of state, and even going back to her days as being first lady of the United States,” he said. “She is tactically better prepared than any other candidate.”

David Stanislav, chairman of the College Republicans and a second-year in chemical engineering, said he thought the news of Clinton’s announcement was interesting, but doesn’t think she’s fit to serve as president.

“I think her list of accomplishments is very short, and her time as secretary of state was mired in controversy,” Stanislav said. “I think she showed a lot of lack of leadership when she was secretary of state, and I think America is considered weaker abroad because of it.”

Stanislav also criticized Clinton for only bringing “old, worn-out ideas” to the table, and said any support she shows for the Affordable Care Act will, in turn, impede her ability to gain support from the American people.

“I think the American public is pretty clearly opposed to the Affordable Care Act, and I think any support that she shows for it, will end up hurting her in the long run,” he said. “Foreign policy and the Affordable Care Act are both going to be major hurdles for her to overcome if she wants to become president.”

Other candidates who have officially announced their presidential bids for the 2016 election include Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Rand Paul for the Republican Party.