Few Rivals as Hillary Clinton Still Leads

[DemocratSinceBirth]

WASHINGTON — If you had asked any oddsmaker in January to pick the most likely next American president, Hillary Rodham Clinton would have been the overwhelming choice.

Since then, Mrs. Clinton, the former secretary of state, has had a dreadful year, rivaled in political misery only by Jeb Bush, Rand Paul and a few other Republican contenders who had to drop out.

Nonetheless, if you asked those oddsmakers the same question today, on the eve of the first Democratic presidential debate, the answer still would be Mrs. Clinton.

This time, however, that assessment wouldn’t reflect her strength, but rather the lack of a strong alternative at this stage. Even Democrats worried about her general election prospects — a growing population — dismiss the possibility of her rival Bernie Sanders winning the nomination.

And they are skeptical that Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will run or, if he did jump in, that he would win. The Republicans are in such chaos that a pathway to victory appears elusive.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/12/us/politics/few-rivals-as-clinton-still-leads.html?_r=0