WASHINGTON (AFX) - US Senator and former First Lady Hillary Clinton is putting in place the infrastructure and logistics for a White House run, Time Magazine reported.
Although the wife of former president Bill Clinton officially remains focused on her reelection race as New York state's US senator, her strategists told Time that they are urging her to make her intentions clear about running for the US presidency by next spring, to lock in funding and political talent.
The magazine reported that Democrat Clinton so far has collected 33 mln usd in campaign contributions, of which 10 mln or more might be saved for an eventual White House run.
She has also assembled 32 full-time staffers and 13 political consultants, and has devised the outlines of a centrist campaign agenda that focuses on energy policy, the economy, and privacy, among other issues.
Clinton also appears to be winning over more of the public. A Time poll found that 53 pct of respondents had a favorable impression of Clinton -- higher than most of the best-known names in the field of potential Democratic contenders.
Former Vice President Al Gore, by comparison, polled 49 pct, former US Senator John Edwards polled 46 pct while 2000 US Democratic presidential contender John Kerry garnered 45 pct.
In addition, her negative ratings, at 44 pct, were lower than either Kerry's or Gore's, Time wrote.
However, in a hypothetical matchup with the top Republican contender, US Senator John McCain, Clinton was defeated by two percentage points among registered voters, the magazine wrote. newsdesk@afxnews.com afp/jlw COPYRIGHT Copyright AFX News Limited 2005. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News. AFX News and AFX Financial News Logo are registered trademarks of AFX News Limited