Mediaboss Marketing

Hillary Clinton is one of the best known political figures in the US. A new poll signals that the former secretary of State is better known than Jeb Bush in the state he used to govern, especially among younger voters.

How well is Hillary Rodham Clinton doing in the polls right now? Shes doing so well that she easily beats former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in his own state.

Washington Editor

Peter Grier is The Christian Science Monitor's Washington editor. In this capacity, he helps direct coverage for the paper on most news events in the nation's capital.

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition

Thats what a just-released Quinnipiac University poll finds, anyway. Mrs. Clinton leads MR. Bush by 49 percent to 41 percent in a notional 2016 presidential matchup in Florida, according to the survey.

And Bush is her closest GOP competitor in Florida, in Quinnipiacs numbers. Former Secretary of State Clinton leads US Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida by 52 percent to 40 percent, and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky by 55 to 37 percent. Shes ahead of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie by 52 to 34 percent, and bests Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas by 57 to 31 percent.

For a potential Hillary Clinton candidacy in Florida, November 2016 cant get here soon enough. Not only does she outpoint the entire field of potential Democratic wannabes for the party nomination put together, but her favorability numbers among all voters is near 60 percent, said Peter Brown, Quinnipiac University Poll assistant director, in a statement.

Well, maybe. But come on this is just one poll. As we wrote Wednesday, individual head-to-head matchup surveys this distant from an actual election date are pretty close to guessing. If they were accurate, wed be talking about successors to President Rudy Giuliani.

Read more from the original source:
Why does Hillary Clinton outpoll Jeb Bush in his own state? (+video)

Hillary Clinton is one of the best known political figures in the US. A new poll signals that the former secretary of State is better known than Jeb Bush in the state he used to govern, especially among younger voters.

How well is Hillary Rodham Clinton doing in the polls right now? Shes doing so well that she easily beats former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in his own state.

Washington Editor

Peter Grier is The Christian Science Monitor's Washington editor. In this capacity, he helps direct coverage for the paper on most news events in the nation's capital.

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition

Thats what a just-released Quinnipiac University poll finds, anyway. Mrs. Clinton leads MR. Bush by 49 percent to 41 percent in a notional 2016 presidential matchup in Florida, according to the survey.

And Bush is her closest GOP competitor in Florida, in Quinnipiacs numbers. Former Secretary of State Clinton leads US Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida by 52 percent to 40 percent, and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky by 55 to 37 percent. Shes ahead of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie by 52 to 34 percent, and bests Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas by 57 to 31 percent.

For a potential Hillary Clinton candidacy in Florida, November 2016 cant get here soon enough. Not only does she outpoint the entire field of potential Democratic wannabes for the party nomination put together, but her favorability numbers among all voters is near 60 percent, said Peter Brown, Quinnipiac University Poll assistant director, in a statement.

Well, maybe. But come on this is just one poll. As we wrote Wednesday, individual head-to-head matchup surveys this distant from an actual election date are pretty close to guessing. If they were accurate, wed be talking about successors to President Rudy Giuliani.

Excerpt from:
Why does Hillary Clinton outpoll Jeb Bush in his own state?

A look at Hillary Rodham Clinton's preparations for a potential 2016 presidential campaign:

Nondenial denial: "I haven't made up my mind. I really have not. I will look carefully at what I think I can do and make that decision sometime next year." ABC, December 2013. "Give me your name and number.... Obviously, thinking about all kinds of decisions." Coyly deflecting questions from a college student who asked her about running, March 22, Tempe, Ariz.

Book: Yes, again. Previously published author has "Hard Choices" scheduled for release June 10, about her years as secretary of state, with book tour likely to follow.

Visited Iowa: No. Steering clear of the early caucus/primary states. But Ready for Hillary, a super political action committee laying national groundwork for her potential candidacy, now is mobilizing for her in the state. The group dispatched 250 volunteers to Democratic county conventions to drum up support for her. (Third-place shocker in 2008 caucuses won by Obama portended scrappy nomination fight to come.)

Visited New Hampshire: No. But Ready for Hillary is already working for her there. The group courted New Hampshire local officials, union leaders and the state Democratic chairman in a January visit and returned in March for a series of meetings with state lawmakers and organizers. (She beat Obama in 2008 primary to regain traction in nomination contest.)

South Carolina: No. (Distant second to Obama in 2008 primary.)

Foreign travel: Do birds fly? Former secretary of state doesn't need to globe-trot any time soon. Spent 401 days overseas, flying nearly 1 million miles. Limited overseas travel in 2013: honorary degree at St. Andrews University in Scotland in September; trip to London in October for a diplomacy award and a fundraising concert for the family's foundation. Attended memorial services for Nelson Mandela in South Africa in December. Two recent speeches in Canada.

Meet the money: Can tap deep well of Democratic and activist money. She's been raising money for Clinton foundation. Supporters launched a super PAC, Ready for Hillary, to support another presidential run, raising more than $4 million in 2013 and $1.7 million in first three months of 2014. Priorities USA said in January 2014 it will back Clinton if she runs, a sign that senior members of President Barack Obama's campaign team are lining up behind her. Prominent bundlers such as Hollywood moguls Jeffrey Katzenberg and Haim Saban have signaled support. Clinton worked fundraising circuit to help Terry McAuliffe's campaign for governor in Virginia and Bill de Blasio's mayoral bid in New York City. Both won.

Networking: A steady presence now on the speaking circuit, delivering paid speeches to industry groups and conferences and appearing before a number of groups with ties to the Democratic coalition, including stops on college campuses in Miami, Los Angeles and Tempe. Accepted lifetime achievement award from American Jewish Congress in March. Crossed paths again with potential GOP rival Jeb Bush at education event in Texas in March, six months after he awarded her the Liberty Medal in Philadelphia in his capacity as chairman of the National Constitution Center.

See original here:
2016 Campaign Checklist: Hillary Clinton

WASHINGTON The next U.S. presidential election is still more than two years away, but any discussion of possible contenders among Democrats begins (and for some ends) with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Clinton has a huge lead in public opinion polls and is expected to decide on a White House run by the end of this year. Just the possibility of her candidacy is already having a huge impact on the 2016 race. Call it the "Clinton mystique," if you like. The fact is that for Democrats, trying to figure out who will be the partys presidential nominee two years from now begins with a simple questionwill she or wont she? Clinton is saying little about that for now. But shes not staying out of the public limelight either. Clinton has been busy giving paid speeches around the country, where she reminds audiences of her commitment to womens rights. I believe that advancing the rights, opportunities and full participation of women and girls here at home and around the world is the great unfinished business of the 21st century, she said during a recent event in Boston. So we know we have work to do. We have to knock down barriers and women themselves have to develop the confidence to pursue their ambitions. Clinton is also eagerly awaiting the arrival of her first grandchild later this year. When daughter Chelsea announced the news in New York a few weeks back, she paid tribute to Hillary: I just hope that I will be as good a mom to my child and, hopefully, children as my mom was to me. But its not always going to be rose petals and laurels for the former secretary of state, senator and first lady. During a recent speech in Nevada, a woman threw one of her shoes at Clinton. Clinton deftly ducked the high heel and seemed confused for a moment, asking What was that? A bat? It might turn out to be good training for the 2016 primaries or even the general election if she makes it that far.

How strong is she? If Clinton does run for the Democratic presidential nomination, she will be formidable, says George Washington University expert John Sides. She is probably as best-positioned to be the Democratic nominee in a year with no incumbent president as any recent Democratic nominee has been. So really, the race is hers if she wants it. Sides also notes that waiting for Hillary to make up her mind essentially freezes other potential Democratic contenders in place, including Vice President Joe Biden, New York Gov. Mario Cuomo and Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley. If there are a lot of early indications that Clinton has solidified support within the party," Sides says, "I think it makes sense for candidates who might otherwise get in the race to keep their powder dry and wait until the next time.

But OMalley has already suggested he wont wait forever. He has little name recognition nationally and would need to get out and campaign early to build that up. Clinton also doesnt have to take into account factors that other challengers might be consumed with, like name recognition, fundraising and winning endorsements from fellow Democrats. She is a known quantity to most voters, says Sides. I dont think she has to worry about image management yet and ultimately it is just a question of whether she thinks she has the necessary stamina and the desire to actually pull this off. Clinton could still face some short of challenge on the left. Maybe someone like former Vermont Governor Howard Dean could decide to give Democrats a choice in the 2016 primaries, or perhaps an updated version of former congressman Dennis Kucinich. But if she runs she will be an overwhelming favorite to win the nomination and would probably be favored in the general election in November no matter who wins the Republican nomination. But as the favorite, Clinton would also be a prime political target, especially for Republicans who have long opposed her and who recall her comments about the vast right wing conspiracy arrayed against her husband during Bill Clintons presidency. If you are way out there everybody is shooting at you, gunning at your back, not only other possible candidates but certainly the media. So she is in a very exposed position, says Stephen Hess, a political scholar at the Brookings Institution. On the other hand, (she is in) a very good position in that she is raising a lot of money and that is very important in presidential politics. Republicans are sure to continue to hammer away at her handling of the 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya. House Speaker John Boehner says to expect more hearings on the issue in the months ahead: When it comes to Benghazi, weve got four Americans who are dead and their families deserve the truth about what happened and the administration refuses to tell them the truth. Despite the potential problems, most analysts see Hillary Clinton as a very strong presidential candidate. Karlyn Bowman studies U.S. public opinion at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. I think the Democratic race is frozen until she tells us what she plans to do. After all she has been a figure in our lives since 1991 and 1992 when Bill Clinton first ran for election. And so we have watched Hillary Clinton for a long time and I think it is her decision to make. Bowman adds that after an exhaustive review of Clintons poll ratings over the years, she seems to be in a very strong position. I have been reviewing all the poll questions ever asked on Hillary Clinton and there are probably several thousand of them at least. And it is a remarkably favorable picture when you look at the whole picture over time since 1992. Clinton is also gearing up for the June release of her book on her time as President Obamas secretary of state. Titled Hard Choices, it's bound to generate days of press coverage and keep her in the headlines. So, yes, its early and a lot can happen in two years. But its hard to imagine someone in a stronger political position than Hillary Clinton is at the moment.

View original post here:
US Voters Await Hillary Clinton's Decision on White House Run

Hillary Clinton is running 8 percentage points ahead of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in his home state, the Quinnipiac Poll said Thursday.

Another former Florida governor, Republican-turned-Democrat Charlie Crist, would beat Gov. Rick Scott by 10 points if the election were held now. Quinnipiac said that a big reason appears to be that Florida voters, by 15 points, say Crist is more compassionate than Scott.

Among Democrats, Clinton has huge leads over Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Bush beats a big field of potential Republican contenders for the 2016 presidential nomination, getting 27 percent of the Republicans compared to 14 percent for Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and 11 percent for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

The poll found that Clinton's advantage over Bush is 49-41. With the rest of the potential Republican field she was the choice of more than half of respondents, leading Rubio 52-40 and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie 52-34.

A January Quinnipiac Poll found Crist leading Scott 46-38, a lead that has edged up to 48-38. More than half, 53 percent of respondents, said Scott does not deserve another term in office.

"So far, Florida Gov. Rick Scott's television barrage apparently has had no impact on the race. The incumbent has not been able to reduce former Gov. Charlie Crist's lead. In fact, voters see Crist's party switch in a positive light and the incumbent's effort to tie Crist's support for Obamacare has not yet borne fruit," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the polling institute at Quinnipiac in Hamden, Conn.

Just over half, 52 percent, said Crist did a good job when he was governor, compared to 42 percent who say Scott is doing well.

Crist was governor from 2007 to 2011. He left the Republican Party after Rubio challenged him for the U.S. Senate nomination and polls showed he would lose the primary, but won 30 percent of the vote as an independent in a three-way race in November 2010. Crist joined the Democrats two years later.

Quinnipiac surveyed 1,413 registered voters in Florida between April 23 and April 28. The poll has a margin of error of 2.6 points for the entire sample and 4.4 points among the partisan groups.

-----

More:
Hillary Clinton Outpolls Jeb Bush in Florida