WASHINGTON (AP) – Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton say they are “blessed, grateful, and so happy” to become grandparents.
Their daughter, Chelsea, gave birth Friday night to her first child, Charlotte.
Chelsea Clinton announced the news on Twitter and Facebook early yesterday, saying she and husband Marc Mezvinsky are “full of love, awe and gratitude as we celebrate the birth of our daughter, Charlotte Clinton Mezvinsky”.
“Chelsea is well and glowing. Marc is bursting with pride. Charlotte’s life is off to a good start,” the former president and first lady said in their statement yesterday.
The baby was born at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, where the Mezvinskys live. No other details of her birth were released by the family.
The Mezvinskys live in New York City, but the family did not say where the child was born or provide additional details on the birth.
The news comes as Hillary Clinton deliberates whether to run for the White House in 2016. She is the leading Democratic contender to succeed President Barack Obama, her 2008 campaign rival, and has said she expects to make a decision around the beginning of next year.
The baby has been eagerly anticipated as Hillary Clinton considers her political future. She has called the prospect of becoming a grandmother her “most exciting title yet”. She even has picked out the first book she intends to read to her grandchild, the classic Goodnight Moon.
She has said she didn’t want to make any decisions about another campaign until the baby’s arrival, pointing to her interest in enjoying becoming a grandmother for the first time.
Bill Clinton cancelled a fundraising visit yesterday to Denver for Democrats running for the Senate and governor, but he called in to an event for embattled Democratic Sen. Mark Udall to deliver his 11-minute speech by speakerphone.
“I hope I get an excused absence,” he told the crowd. “You all know my family just got a little bigger, and I figured I should stay home where I’m really needed.”
