In a move likely to fuel speculation about a potential new run for elected office, former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton will speak at the New York State Democratic Party Convention next week, sources familiar with the matter told CNBC.
Clinton, 74, is expected to speak at the gathering of some of the party's most influential members at the Sheraton hotel in Times Square, CNBC's sources said.
Though she has previously said she would not run for president again after her loss to Donald Trump in 2016, two Clinton allies published an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal last month suggesting she could run for the nation's highest office in 2024, as President Joe Biden's approval ratings continue to fall.
The Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday showed that 42% of likely U.S. voters approve of Biden's job performance, versus 56% who disapprove. The margin of error for the full sample of 1,500 likely voters is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, with a 95% confidence level.
"She's beloved by the mainstream members of the Democratic Party and her popularity is likely higher than that of President Biden," one of CNBC's sources said. "It's good for her because it keeps her relevant and her appearance is likely meant to galvanize the party and the audience."
Jay Jacobs, chair of the New York State Democratic Party, neither confirmed nor denied that Clinton was scheduled to speak at the event.
"We've reached out to a number of people to speak and we're waiting back on confirmation from a number of people," Jacobs' Chief of Staff Chris Melnyczuk told CNBC in a Thursday phone interview. "So, there are a few things in the works. We've reached out to a number of folks; we're not going to say who we've reached out to."
In addition to her frequent criticism of Trump, the former secretary of state and senator for the state of New York has also called out factions within her own party.
As the midterm elections approach, Clinton seemed to call out progressive Democrats in a December interview with Sunday TODAY.
"I think that it is a time for some careful thinking about what wins elections, and not just in deep-blue districts where a Democrat and a liberal Democrat, or so-called progressive Democrat, is going to win," she said. "I understand why people want to argue for their priorities. That's what they believe they were elected to do."