Bill Clinton is coming to Hillary's rescue

(Image credit: Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)

published 2 October 2015

Hillary Clinton is calling in reinforcements. As her poll numbers drop and her third-quarter fundraising haul falls within an unexpectedly slim margin of Bernie Sanders', she's decided it's time to deploy her secret weapon: Her husband.

While Politico reports that Hillary's campaign "had always planned to deploy the former president as a rainmaker this fall," Bill Clinton's entry is sooner — and broader — than initially expected. The former president is using his interviews to push his wife's campaign, helping out with a top Clinton super PAC, engaging in "high-level discussions about 2016," and appearing in email chains. As Politico puts it, "his walk-on role as human cash machine is becoming a speaking gig, too."

"They will use him appropriately, but make no mistake: He's very important to her and important to this campaign," a Clinton family friend and adviser told Politico. "And he's a very popular guy."