--- title: Hillary Won't Think About 2016 Until After Midterms description: Former Secretary of State tells ABC's Diane Sawyer she'll wait until this year's midterm elections are over before even thinking about running for president, but "will be on the way to making a decision by the end of the year" canonical: https://time.com/2845026/hillary-2016-president-decision/ author: Sam Frizell article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-08T15:15:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:01:15.486Z article:section: Politics og:title: Hillary Won't Think About 2016 Until After Midterms og:description: Former Secretary of State tells ABC's Diane Sawyer she'll wait until this year's midterm elections are over before even thinking about running for president, but "will be on the way to making a decision by the end of the year" og:url: https://time.com/2845026/hillary-2016-president-decision/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4a70027fe9ec8c58/698696a906f2c11a2632f604/2014-06-05t201632z_343677588_gm1ea660b.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1468 og:image:height: 826 og:image:alt: Handout photo of Hillary Clinton's interview with ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer in Washington og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Hillary Won't Think About 2016 Until After Midterms twitter:description: Former Secretary of State tells ABC's Diane Sawyer she'll wait until this year's midterm elections are over before even thinking about running for president, but "will be on the way to making a decision by the end of the year" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4a70027fe9ec8c58/698696a906f2c11a2632f604/2014-06-05t201632z_343677588_gm1ea660b.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Hillary Teases Timetable For 2016 Decision > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=9ce92bdf-2e1e-4f63-9f4f-ea9e33ecaed5&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Twice a week | time.com/newsletters, September 2026 | | Written by | Philip Elliott, Senior Correspondent | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The policy influence ecosystem. A policy-focused audience spanning government, public affairs, advocacy, law, research, political media, and the institutions that make, interpret and respond to public policy. ### TIME D.C. Brief: key statements * D.C. Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * D.C. Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=9ce92bdf-2e1e-4f63-9f4f-ea9e33ecaed5&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/subscribe?i=9ce92bdf-2e1e-4f63-9f4f-ea9e33ecaed5&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's politics newsletter? D.C. Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=9ce92bdf-2e1e-4f63-9f4f-ea9e33ecaed5&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Meet The Women in Hillary Clinton's Inner Circle [Watch (HLS stream): Meet The Women in Hillary Clinton's Inner Circle](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/rLWnTlfm.m3u8) (4:09)  _Published 2014-01-16. Who are the women who have helped Hillary become Hillary? And how will their roles change if she runs for President in 2016?_ by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Jun 8, 2014 3:15 PM UTC  Hillary Clinton talks with ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer for her first television interview in conjunction with the release of her new book, Hard Choices, in this handout photo taken in Washington on June 5, 2014. Hillary Clinton talks with ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer for her first television interview in conjunction with the release of her new book, Hard Choices, in this handout photo taken in Washington on June 5, 2014. Martin H. Simon—ABC/Reuters by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Jun 8, 2014 3:15 PM UTC Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday she will be “on the way to making a decision” on a 2016 presidential run by the end of the year. In an interview with ABC’s Diane Sawyer, due to be broadcast Monday, Clinton said she plans to campaign for Democratic candidates running in the 2014 midterms before making a decision on her own candidacy. “I will be on the way to making a decision by the end of the year, yes,” she said. “Certainly not before then … I just want to kind of get through this year, travel around the country, sign books, help in the midterm elections in the fall, and then take a deep breath and kind of go through my pluses and minuses about what I will – and will not – be thinking about as I make the decision.” The former First Lady, who has been consistently coy about her exact timetable for announcing a presidential run, said it was “probably likely” an announcement wouldn’t come until 2015\. “I’m not positive about that, but I think, you know, the way I make decisions, that’s probably likely,” Clinton said. An ABC poll releases Sunday shows that 69 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents support Clinton for the party’s nomination. Clinton, who is currently on a media tour to publicize her memoir _Hard Choices_, also called President Barack Obama’s decision to swap five Guantanamo prisoners for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl a “hard choice.” “One of our values is we bring everybody home off the battlefield the best we can,” Clinton said. “It doesn’t matter how they ended up in a prisoner of war situation. It doesn’t matter. We bring our people home.” \[[ABC](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/hillary-clinton-reveals-2016-timetable-shell-testify-benghazi/story?id=24036584&singlePage=true)\] ## Transcript >> If Hillary Clinton runs for U. S. President in 2016, the former secretary of State, New York Senator and First Lady will have a shot of being the first female president while Clinton is known for being a trailblazer herself, she is surrounded by a fearless circle of female advisers who make up a large part of her team. Here's a closer look of some of the women in Hillary Clinton's inner circle who have been advising, handling and image checking Clinton in her many roles and probably will continue to do so if she ends up running for President. Huma Abedin, one of Clinton's closest and perhaps better- known adviser is expected to have a top- level gig assisting her boss in a future presidential campaign. Abedin began working for Clinton as a White House intern when she was just 20 years old. And eventually became the former First Lady's traveling Chief of Staff doing her campaign for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination. When Clinton became Secretary of State, Abedin served as a top aide traveling with Clinton across the world. Capricia Marshall has been a key member of the Clinton entourage for two decades since she joined Bill Clinton's campaign in 1992. Back then, Marshall said that she got the job that nobody wanted, assisting the spouse of the candidate. But the first- generation America rose from personal assistant to White House Social Secretary and late became an adviser to the 2008 Presidential campaign. When Clinton became Secretary of State, she insisted on bringing along Marshall as Chief of Protocol, where she was considered a bridge between Obama and Clinton loyalists. Marshall left the post of the Chief of Protocol in 2013 but insiders say that she joined the list of Clinton advisers who left key position for a chance to rest while they wait for team Hillary to gear up again for 2016 Presidential bid. There are few people closer to Hillary than Maggie Williams, renown as the ultimate Hillary loyalist, fearless and unwavering inner devotion for nearly 25 years. As the First Lady's Chief of Staff. Her office was in the West Wing right next to Hillary's. In those years, the loyal women who worked with Hillary came to call their universe Hillary Land. Williams was one of them and later took the helm of Clinton's 2008 campaign. Williams is set to have reservations about Clinton running again. Melanne Verveer, Clinton's former White House aide, sealed clears of the 2008 campaign but remains a trusted friend and adviser of Clinton. She took on one of the topics nearest to Clinton's heart, women's issues. Verveer was appointed as the first Ambassador of the said Department Office for Global Women's Issue in 2009 and is now Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. Verveer played a crucial rule in orchestrating Clinton's story in 1995 speech in Beijing on women's rights. >> Human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights once and for all. >> Finally, you should keep an eye out for Cheryl Mills having worked for the Clintons in some capacity for more than two decades including her recent stint as Chief of Staff to the former Secretary of State. Mills is often described as the gatekeeper to Hillary Land. She has remained a key part of Hillary Clinton's transition team and she's likely to be a key adviser in the Presidential campaign, she will be one in 2016. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/2845026/hillary-2016-president-decision/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/2845026/hillary-2016-president-decision/"},"headline":"Hillary Teases Timetable For 2016 Decision","datePublished":"2014-06-08T15:15:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:01:15.486Z","description":"Former Secretary of State tells ABC's Diane Sawyer she'll wait until this year's midterm elections are over before even thinking about running for president, but \"will be on the way to making a decision by the end of the year\"","url":"https://time.com/2845026/hillary-2016-president-decision/","keywords":["2016 presidential election"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4a70027fe9ec8c58/698696a906f2c11a2632f604/2014-06-05t201632z_343677588_gm1ea660b.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam Frizell","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4a70027fe9ec8c58/698696a906f2c11a2632f604/2014-06-05t201632z_343677588_gm1ea660b.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Handout photo of Hillary Clinton's interview with ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer in Washington","caption":"Handout photo of Hillary Clinton's interview with ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer in Washington","creditText":"Martin H. Simon—ABC/Reuters","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2016-presidential-election/","name":"2016 presidential election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/2845026/hillary-2016-president-decision/","name":"Hillary Teases Timetable For 2016 Decision"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Meet The Women in Hillary Clinton's Inner Circle","description":"Who are the women who have helped Hillary become Hillary? And how will their roles change if she runs for President in 2016?","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/rLWnTlfm/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-01-16T22:19:36.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/rLWnTlfm.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/2845026/hillary-2016-president-decision/","duration":"PT4M9S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/2845026/hillary-2016-president-decision/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```