Clinton cuts short vacation for Midwest campaign swing

by Mark Hensch - 08/22/15 11:31 AM ET

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is pausing a planned vacation to return to the 2016 campaign trail, amid negative momentum in polling.

Clinton is leaving the Hamptons early for a series of election events across the Midwest, according to The New York Times.

The former first lady had initially planned on closing out August on Long Island alongside her husband, former President Bill Clinton. The pair had rented a $100,000 beachside estate in Amagansett, N.Y. for the next two weeks.

{mosads}Clinton is now scheduled to leave Wednesday for a grassroots-organizing party in Cleveland, her first stop in the crucial battleground state during the 2016 election cycle. She has then booked a visit to Minneapolis for the Democratic National Committee’s summer meeting.

The Clintons also plan to attend several fundraisers in the Hamptons — costing $2,700 per person — aimed at boosting her campaign coffers for next year.

Clinton’s campaign pivot comes as she faces increased scrutiny over her use of a private email server while serving as secretary of State between 2009 and 2013.

Voter concerns over the device’s national security and transparency implications are eroding Clinton’s support across national polls.

Clinton’s 2016 campaign is responding by launching an extensive media campaign to explain how she has cooperated with public record keeping after her time at State.

The former first lady is also making an aggressive pivot to new policies, including economic proposals and college tuition reform.

Clinton has repeatedly argued she did noting unethical by using her personal email account for government business conducted at State.

She has since turned over the controversial device and its backup thumb drive to Justice Department investigators for a thorough analysis of its contents.

“What I did was legally permitted, first and foremost,” Clinton told reporters during a feisty press conference in Las Vegas last Tuesday evening.

“I know there is a certain level of anxiety or interest in this, but the facts are the facts,” she added when addressing questions about the server. “I don’t know how it works digitally at all.”

Clinton remains the heavy favorite for the Democratic presidential nomination next year, despite controversy over her technology habits at State.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), her closest competitor in national polls, is slowly catching up to her, but still trails by a large margin.

Tags Hillary Clinton