Hillary Clinton sets off for tour of key states

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has set out for a tour of key states, at the start of her campaign to become the first woman US president.

She is taking a road trip to meet small groups of voters in Iowa, having announced her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination on Sunday.

She had been expected to declare her candidacy for months.

Mrs Clinton ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008 but lost to Barack Obama.

‘Listening tour’

A few hours into her journey from New York to Iowa, Mrs Clinton tweeted: “Road trip! Loaded the van & set off for IA. Met a great family when we stopped this afternoon. Many more to come. -H.”

Mrs Clinton’s team said she would spend the next few weeks building up grassroots support in the early Democratic primary states.

Her first rally, to officially kick off her campaign, is not expected until mid-May. But her trip to Iowa is to be a “listening tour” where Mrs Clinton will meet voters at low-key events.

Later this week, she is expected to meet groups of students, teachers and small business owners.