Hillary Clinton Seen Launching Presidential Bid in April; CPAC Announces Straw Poll Results

By Peter Nicholas and Carol E. Lee. Hillary Clinton and her close advisers are telling Democratic donors that she will enter the presidential race sooner than expected, likely in April, a move that would allay uncertainties within her party and allow her to rev up fundraising.

Clinton aides have spoken of the earlier timetable in private meetings, according to people engaged in recent discussions about the presumed Democratic front-runner’s emerging 2016 campaign. Many within her camp have advocated her staying out of the fray until the summer.

Jumping in sooner would help the Democratic field take shape, reassuring party leaders and donors that the former first lady, senator and secretary of state is running. A super PAC loyal to Mrs. Clinton has faced hesitation from donors who don’t want to make big pledges until she is a candidate. Such concerns would evaporate after she announces.

But Mrs. Clinton would become an even larger target for Republicans when she enters the race. She also would be pressed to opine on a raft of thorny issues in the news, including how to combat the military advances of Islamic State militants in the Middle East. (Read more about Hillary Clinton announcing her presidential bid HERE)


___________________________________________________________

CPAC Announces Official Results of Its 2015 Presidential Straw Poll

By Nick Morpus. As the Conservative Political Action Conference comes to a close, it’s time to announce the results of its annual presidential poll.

Despite recent surges of Governors Jeb Bush and Scott Walker, Senator Rand Paul has won the poll for the third year in a row:

1. Rand Paul 25.7 (31)
2. Scott Walker 21.4 (7)
3. Ted Cruz 11.5 (11)
4. Ben Carson 11.4 (9)
5. Jeb Bush 8.3 (N/A)
6. Rick Santorum 4.3 (7)
7. Marco Rubio 3.7 (6)
8. Donald Trump 3.5 (2)
9. Carly Fiorina 3.0 (N/A)
10. Chris Christie 2.8 (8)
11. Rick Perry 1.1 (3)
12. Bobby Jindal 0.9 (2)
13. Sarah Palin 0.8 (2)
14. Mike Huckabee 0.3 (2)
15. John Bolton 0.3 (N/A)
16. Lindsey Graham 0.1 (N/A)
17. George Pataki 0.1 (N/A)

(Read more from this story HERE)

Follow Joe Miller on Twitter HERE and Facebook HERE.