Hillary Clinton Campaign Press Release - Campaign Memo: Hillary Clinton Returns to Arkansas

To: Interested Parties

From: Clinton Campaign

Date: June 22, 2007

Re: Hillary Clinton Returns to Arkansas

Hillary Clinton returns to Arkansas this weekend for the first time as a Presidential candidate to speak at the Democratic State Party's Jefferson-Jackson dinner. Having started her family and built her career in the state over 35 years ago, Arkansas still holds a special place in Hillary's heart.

Hillary maintains a well of goodwill from her work as an advocate for children and the poor in Arkansas and her 12 years as First Lady. She ran a legal aid clinic when she first arrived in the state, and took on child advocacy cases pro bono. She co-founded Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, chaired the Arkansas Rural Health Advisory Committee, and led the Arkansas Education Standards Committee to improve public education in the state. Hillary also introduced an innovative preschool program, Home Instruction Programs for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY), in Arkansas, and served on the board of the Arkansas Children's Hospital, helping to expand and improve its services.

Now that Arkansas has moved its primary date to February 5th, Hillary enters the contest from a position of strength. A March poll conducted by the American Research Group, the only poll taken in Arkansas since Hillary entered the race, showed her winning by more than 30 points, pulling nearly 50 percent of the primary vote.

And while Democrats search for a candidate who can carry Florida or Ohio in a general election, Hillary can not only win those battleground states but also turn Arkansas blue in 2008.

As Governor Mike Beebe told the Springdale Morning News about Hillary's return to the state, "We're honored to have Senator Clinton here. She is one of our favorite daughters...I still consider her a big part of Arkansas. She devoted, I guess, the greatest part of her life here and was a wonderful first lady for both Arkansas and the nation."