Public opinion polls show that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is the overwhelming favorite to be the Democratic Partys presidential nominee in 2016, should she decide to run.
There is no clear front-runner among potential candidates for the Republican Party nomination, suggesting a wide open primary battle in two years time.
Clinton has been a fixture on the national political scene for more than 20 years, as first lady, U.S. senator, presidential candidate and secretary of state.
She is expected to decide on a presidential run later this year, and, if she runs, would be a formidable candidate.
"What is quite amazing in the Democratic Party, the presidents party, is that there is basically one candidate way ahead of the field and that is Hillary Clinton, said political analyst Stephen Hess.
If she does run, Clinton can expect questions from rivals about her handling of the terrorist attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012.
She recently called the Benghazi attack her biggest regret, though last year she fended off political attacks on her handling of the incident.
The fact is we had four dead Americans," she said. "Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk who decided they would go kill Americans? What difference at this point does it make? It is our job to figure out what happened and do everything we can to prevent it from every happening again. senator.
As a presidential candidate, Clinton could face a challenge from Vice President Joe Biden, who is a distant second in the latest polls.
Clintons status as the clear front-runner has pros and cons, according to Hess.
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Hillary Clinton Leads Potential 2016 Presidential Pack