Clinton's win not guaranteed despite global celebrity

Video grab of Hillary Rodham Clinton announcing that she would seek the presidency for a second time, immediately establishing herself as the likely 2016 Democratic nominee, in Washington, DC, USA on April 12, 2015. [Photo/IC]

WASHINGTON -- With a globally recognized brand, Hillary Clinton is perhaps the first female presidential candidate in US history who has a serious shot at winning the White House, but it's far from a done deal, analysts said.

In a nearly three-minute video released Sunday, the former first lady and Secretary of State formally announced her run for the White House in 2016, saying she would be the "champion" of the middle class.

A worldwide celebrity whose name is recognized from Africa to Asia, Clinton is a superstar at a time when many Republican Party candidates seem unexciting and dull, and many analysts said that puts her in a prime position to clinch the White House in 2016.

"Hillary Clinton is a global superstar. She is well-known around the world and respected for her leadership skills," Brookings Institution's senior fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.

"This gives her great currency for the presidential campaign because she is on a first-name basis with world leaders and Hollywood celebrities," he said.

With the exception of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, who has good connections through his family network, Clinton may well tower over the Republican field, as most GOP candidates are not well-known and do not have strong foreign policy credentials. This will give her a substantial advantage over most Republican candidates, analysts said.

It remains unknown who will grab the GOP nomination, but polls and experts point to Bush, whose campaign will likely be well funded via his connections with two former presidents -- his father, George H.W. Bush, and his brother, George W. Bush.

Republicans will seek to derail Clinton by sowing a narrative that she is secretive, in light of recent developments involving her use of a private email account to do business as secretary of state, as well as unanswered questions over her handling of the 2012 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed a US ambassador.

"Republicans will attack her on many grounds. But they have to be careful not to be so heavy-handed in their criticisms that they create a backlash that helps her," West said.