Financial Times - July 10, 2006
Clinton seeks to woo Wall Street By Ben White in New York
Hillary Clinton has been cosying up to Wall Street in recent weeks with a series of meetings with top executives that could help her follow the path blazed by her husband ahead of his first presidential run.
People familiar with the meetings said they appeared intended to help Wall Street figures get to know the New York senator better as she coasts through an easy 2006 re-election campaign and paves the way for a possible Democratic presidential run in 2008. Bill Clinton's early forays to Wall Street helped advance his bid for the Democratic nomination in 1992.
Some events, such as a recent gathering at Morgan Stanley that included chief executive John Mack, a big Republican donor, have been fundraisers for the Senate campaign.
Others, including a chat with executives at Lehman Brothers, are more policy-oriented.
Mrs Clinton is said to be planning meetings at Merrill Lynch and Credit Suisse, among others.
Ann Lewis, a senior adviser to Mrs Clinton, said the meetings were focused on 2006. "She is proud to represent a state as diverse as New York with farmers upstate and bankers on Wall Street," she said.
However, political observers noted that Mrs Clinton faces little significant opposition in 2006. They said the Wall Street meetings could pay dividends in 2008 by helping reassure bankers that Mrs Clinton is a free market centrist, not the tax-and-spend, protectionist liberal some Republicans paint her to be.
"She wants to reassure them that she is really OK," said Maurice Carroll, a pollster and political analyst.
Analysts said the meetings also gave Mrs Clinton, viewed as a favourite for the Democratic presidential nomination, an opportunity to argue that she would improve the standing of the US abroad and demonstrate her commitment to free trade.
This has been called into question by her vocal opposition to DP World of Dubai's attempted purchase of a company controlling certain US ports.
Executives across Wall Street, while historically more supportive of Republicans, are dismayed at the degradation of the nation's image and say the decline makes it harder for them to do business abroad.
The lack of an obvious Republican frontrunner or incumbent also means more Wall Street money and support could flow to Mrs Clinton and other Democrats in 2008.
Many on Wall Street are already familiar with Mrs Clinton through her work in the Senate. She often visits big New York employers such as JP Morgan Chase for public and private events. She has raised $4.7m (€3.6m, £2.5m) from individuals in the financial services, real estate and insurance sectors this year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Mr Mack, a big fundraiser for President George W. Bush, contributed $2,000 to Mrs Clinton's Senate campaign. However, convincing Wall Street executives to support a popular home state senator is one thing; selling them on a presidential bid is another.