Hillary Clinton's Campaign Chief Meets Privately with Senate Democrats

 Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta, met privately with Senate Democrats on Tuesday, saying he wanted to “reintroduce” himself for the former secretary of state’s 2016 White House bid.

Podesta attended the closed-door lunch with top Clinton campaign political adviser Amanda Renteria. He told reporters the pair would tell Democratic senators “we want to stay in touch and be available as we begin to develop an organization in every state in the country.”

Clinton announced on April 12 she is again seeking the White House, positioning her as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. Tuesday’s lunch could be awkward, given that at least one member of the group–Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats–has said he is considering running.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus simultaneously was attending Republicans’ closed-door lunch. Republicans control the Senate 54-46, and three of their members–Ted Cruz of Texas, Marco Rubio of Florida and Rand Paul of Kentucky–have formally announced they are seeking the presidency.

Podesta said support for Clinton is strong among her former Democratic colleagues in the Senate, where she represented New York from 2001 to 2009.

“Those people that are already supporting Secretary Clinton, they’ve already been helpful by putting their networks in touch with our campaign,” Podesta said.

Podesta served as chief of staff to former President Bill Clinton and senior counselor to President Barack Obama. Podesta has periodically attended meetings of Senate Democrats while working for Obama.