United States:Hillary Rodham Clinton is far ahead of Barack Obama among Democrats and would narrowly defeat Republican presidential front-runners John McCain and Rudy Giuliani, according to a poll published a day after she formally entered the 2008 race.
The Washington Post/ABC News poll gives Mrs Clinton a substantial lead among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents with 41 per cent, compared to Mr Obama's 17 per cent and John Edwards's 11 per cent. Mrs Clinton leads Mr Giuliani by 49 per cent to 47 per cent and Mr McCain by 50 per cent to 45 per cent.
The New York senator and former first lady announced on her website on Saturday that she was forming an exploratory committee, the first step towards a presidential run. "I'm in. And I'm in to win," she said.
Mrs Clinton stressed her commitment to core Democratic values, including women's rights, economic fairness and social justice, adding that she knows how to win against Republicans.
"I have never been afraid to stand up for what I believe in or to face down the Republican machine. After nearly $70 million spent against my campaigns in New York and two landslide wins, I can say I know how Washington Republicans think, how they operate, and how to beat them," she said.
Within minutes of Mrs Clinton's announcement, members of her fundraising team were calling top donors to secure the maximum donation permissible under campaign finance laws. Individuals are allowed to give up to $2,100 (€1,618) to a candidate during each election cycle.
Mrs Clinton's finance organisation, which is unrivalled within the Democratic Party, hopes to build on its current $14 million war-chest with a series of multi-million dollar fundraising events.
Mr Obama has been courting some Clinton supporters and has recruited a number of aides formerly associated with Mrs Clinton.
Financier and philanthropist George Soros this weekend endorsed Mr Obama and announced that he was giving the Illinois senator the maximum possible donation.
New Mexico governor Bill Richardson yesterday became the latest Democrat to enter the race, in an attempt to become the first Hispanic to enter the White House. A former congressman who served as a UN ambassador and energy secretary under president Bill Clinton, Mr Richardson said his experience and his success as governor of New Mexico would serve the country well.
"The next president must be able to get us out of Iraq, must be able to restore America's international standing, the next president must be able to make us energy independent, must be able to make schools better, to create jobs . . . to get that done you need real life experience," he said.
Mrs Clinton remains the candidate to beat for the Democratic nomination. The latest poll numbers suggest that her sex, which some strategists feared was a liability, may be an advantage.
She is viewed favourably by 59 per cent of women, with especially large advantages among non-white and lower-income women. She is also particularly popular among younger women.
In the 2004 election, nine million more women voted than men.
Mrs Clinton enjoys the approval of three out of four Democrats, while three out of four Republicans dislike her, making her the most polarising of all the declared presidential candidates.
Her most formidable challenge will be to persuade Democratic primary voters to support her over Mr Obama and Mr Edwards, who have taken stronger positions against the Iraq war.
Mrs Clinton last week stepped up her opposition to president George Bush's troop escalation in Iraq, calling for the number of US forces there to be capped at their level on January 1st this year. She wants to cut off funds for Iraqi forces and private contractors in Iraq unless there is greater progress towards reconciliation between the communities.
She said candidates in the 2008 race should be thoughtful and responsible when talking about war, rather than trying to score easy political points.
"I am cursed with the responsibility gene. I am. I admit to that. You've got to be very careful in how you proceed with any combat situation in which American lives are at stake," she said.
Later this week, Mrs Clinton will make her first visit since 2003 to Iowa, where the first Democratic caucus is held.
She is trailing Mr Edwards, Mr Obama and former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack in the state and she is also unsure of winning in New Hampshire, where the first primary is held next year.
Senate foreign relations committee chairman Joseph Biden, who is also seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, said that, although Mrs Clinton was the current favourite, there was time for other candidates to make their views better known.