Mrs Hillary Clinton is virtually certain to run for the New York Senate seat becoming vacant next year, according to a spate of reports citing "friends and political associates". The First Lady's spokesperson, Ms Marsha Berry, has said that "an exploratory committee is being considered but at this point, any talk of an actual announcement is premature".
The committee would allow Mrs Clinton to start raising funds for an election campaign for the New York seat being vacated by Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. There is increasing demand by Republican opponents in New York, such as the Mayor, Mr Rudi Giuliani, that Mrs Clinton's frequent visits there should not be paid by the taxpayers as they say she is using them to prepare for her political campaign.
Mr Giuliani is expected to be the Republican candidate in the Senate seat race but he is also delaying an announcement. Recent polls have shown Mrs Clinton's lead over him has decreased.
Mrs Clinton is said to have been advised by White House lawyers that to avoid ethical problems she should set up a fund-raising operation to pay for the expenses of her visits to New York.
Pressure is increasing on Mrs Clinton to decide soon whether to run or leave the field free for a Democratic Congresswoman, Ms Nita Lowey, of Westchester, New York, who has declared her interest in running for the seat. Ms Lowey has said she will step aside if Mrs Clinton runs.
Mrs Clinton is also reported to be ready to appoint several key political advisers who played key roles in her husband's successful presidential campaigns. These are Mr Harold Ickes, who was deputy chief of staff at the White House, and Ms Mandy Grunwald, who is a media consultant.
Mrs Clinton's travel plans are seen by some observers as influencing potential voters among New York's ethnic groups. It is pointed out that she has recently been to Ireland and will soon be visiting Israel.
Mrs Clinton may still delay her decision until later in the summer. There has been speculation that she will announce her intentions when she returns in June from a short family holiday in Florida.
Senator Charles Schumer, a Democrat of New York, told the Washington Post: "It's obvious to anyone who sits down with Hillary Clinton that she is enthusiastic about being a senator." But she would have to immerse herself fully in New York politics and also be "comfortable with the risk that she may lose", he said.