Chelsea Clinton, the 35-year-old daughter of former President Bill Clinton and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, is said to be her mother's most significant counselor.
A major decision maker at the family's $2 billion foundation, she is expected to play an influential role in the 2016 campaign, and may well become a key White House player if her mother becomes president, according to
Politico.
"She has all of her father and mother's qualities. I could say 'and then some,' but I don't think that's even necessary. It's enough to just have those," said financier and longtime Clintonite Alan Patricof. He said he gathered that she would herself someday seek to "run a company or she'll run a charity or she'll run a country."
The former first daughter, described as analytical, extremely intelligent and hardworking, majored in
history at Stanford University, took a degree in public health from Columbia University, and earned a
doctorate from Oxford in international relations.
Her résumé includes working for the consulting firm McKinsey & Co., and as an analyst at a Wall Street investment firm. She went to work full time on her mother's presidential campaign in 2008. After Hillary Clinton pulled out, deferring to Barack Obama, she turned to the family's philanthropic ventures. Her career also includes a stint at NBC News and teaching at Columbia, Politico reported.
A "child of privilege," according to Politico, she mixes with movers and shakers, lives in a $9.25-million Manhattan condo, and has described herself as politically progressive.
She met husband, Marc Mezvinsky, at Stanford. He is in the hedge fund business, pooling money of wealthy people for risk-laden high-payoff investing. Some Clintonites reportedly invest with the son-in-law, donate to the family foundation, and can be expected to back Hillary in her White House run. Among these is Israeli-American billionaire Haim Saban, Politico reported.
In 2013, Chelsea Clinton became vice chairwoman of the renamed Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation. She is now a major force in the charity, which employs some 2,000 staffers. Clinton travels around the world, helping to select foundation beneficiaries, and assessing the performance of its philanthropic work.
Her position at the foundation is expected to grow even more influential as her mother campaigns full time for the presidency.
While Bill Clinton will join her in Morocco in May for a major foundation event, Chelsea's key challenge will be to keep the money flowing in while her parents' attention are focused elsewhere, according to Politico.