- The Washington Times - Friday, June 6, 2014

The U.S. Senate’s No. 2 Democrat is really Ready for Hillary.

Before a Chicago event Thursday hosted by Ready for Hillary, a Super PAC that’s backing a would-be 2016 presidential run for former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Dick Durbin said he’s “anxious” to support her.

“I don’t know if there’s an alternative scenario I’ve even thought of,” the Illinois Democrat told reporters, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Mrs. Clinton — who is scheduled to be in the Windy City next week — would certainly start as the overwhelming front-runner in the 2016 Democratic primary, according to public polls. But a number of prominent Democrats — including Vice President Joseph R. Biden, another one of Mr. Durbin’s former colleagues in the Senate — are also weighing bids.

Mr. Durbin, who supported President Obama in 2008, is part of a growing list of prominent Democrats, such as Sens. Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Tim Kaine of Virginia, who supported Mr. Obama in 2008 and are already backing Mrs. Clinton for 2016.

A poll released Thursday by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling shows Mrs. Clinton dominating the 2016 Democratic presidential field in Pennsylvania with 65 percent of the vote. Mr. Biden took nine percent, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo were at five percent apiece, and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey was at four percent.

• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.

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