Hillary Rodham Clinton says she is "very much concerned" about the direction of the US but says she is still considering her future plans.
During a yesterday session of the Clinton Global Initiative University, a young woman asked Clinton whether she would consider running for president in 2016.
The student said if Clinton wouldn't represent women in politics, "who will?"
That got a roar of approval from the 1,000-plus students attending the event.
The former secretary of state said she is concerned about the direction of the nation but added that "it's not just who runs for office" but what they do once they get there. Clinton smiled and told the crowd that she was "obviously thinking about all kinds of decisions."
The annual university conference sponsored by the Clinton Global Initiative is offering a window into the enthusiasm that Clinton might tap into if she runs for president again. At universities, Clinton often appeals to young voters' idealism and encourages civic participation.
She also raises the kind of powerful symbolism her potential breakthrough as the first female president of the United States that helped propel Barack Obama's history-making campaign in 2008 to become the nation's first black president.
In 2008, Clinton wasn't the first choice of college students during the Democratic primaries; young voters supported Obama by wide margins.
Clinton's allies are setting up a voter outreach operation that could enable her to connect with young voters and build upon the Obama campaign's success in courting women, African-Americans, Latinos, and gays and lesbians.
This time, they say, will be different.
"I don't think you're going to have this contrast in a Democratic primary that you had in 2008. I think there will be a ton of enthusiasm" for a potential Clinton candidacy, said Mitch Stewart, a former Obama campaign aide who now advises Ready for Hillary, a super political action committee that's building support for a potential 2016 race.
"If she were decide to run, there would be an historic element to her candidacy as well that I think young people would want to be a part of," he said.
Running in 2008, Obama had several advantages with young voters- his opposition to the war in Iraq; the historic nature of his candidacy; a hip, next-generation profile; and a team that aggressively organized college students.
