US elections 2016: Hillary Clinton's team signs lease for Brooklyn campaign headquarters

Hillary Clinton's team may have dropped the biggest indication over whether the former secretary of state is running in the 2016 presidential election when it signed a lease for a campaign headquarters in Brooklyn, New York on 3 April.

According to Politico, which first reported the news, Clinton's new campaign headquarters is located at 1 Pierrepont Plaza in Brooklyn Heights.

Clinton's team will take up two full floors of the office building, which markets itself as "Modern Offices. Brooklyn Cool". The new office is situated next to Morgan Stanley and across the office of the US attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Politico reported.

The latest development from Clinton's camp may signal that the Democrat will be announcing her presidential run in the coming weeks.

The Federal Election Committee dictates that potential candidates have 15 days between conducting campaign activity and filing a campaign committee, Politico stated. Clinton's chief of staff Huma Abedin allegedly toured the building and the surrounding neighbourhood weeks ago, but did not sign a lease. ABC News reported that the FEC laws can be "murky" and "hard to enforce".

ABC News also reported that Clinton's likely campaign has been surrounded by reports of new hires, including Ready for Hillary workers and some former Obama aides.

Recent polls from key swing states show Clinton's lead against potential Republican presidential candidates have declined. According to Real Clear Politics, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush beats out Clinton in his home state, while Kentucky Senator Rand Paul tops her in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, Clinton leads Bush, Paul, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Florida Senator Marco Rubio in Ohio.

No comment from Clinton's camp has been released regarding the new campaign headquarters.