Yes, no, maybe: 2016 White House race takes shape

Washington, Jan 15: There are no official candidates so far in the 2016 race for the White House, but one year ahead of the party primaries, the field is filling up, with new faces and some familiar names: Clinton, Bush and Romney.

Among the Democrats, Hillary Clinton is the runaway frontrunner. But in 2007, she entered the primaries as the favorite, only to finish second fiddle to Barack Obama.

When will the most watched woman in politics make her announcement? Most likely in the spring, campaign-watchers speculate, with some narrowing it down to April.

Harbingers abound: a handful of likely advisors are believed to have already signed on to an expected Clinton campaign. While Clinton lurks, a major prospective rival, Senator Elizabeth Warren, appeared to withdraw from a potential candidacy.

Asked by Forbes magazine recently if she would run for president, Warren -- hailed by progressives for her crusade against Wall Street excesses -- simply answered "No."

AFP