Senator John Kerry topped George W. Bush by nine points in 2004. But if the election were held today, Sen. Hillary Clinton would destroy her GOP rivals by twice that, according to a Survey USA poll out today.
 
The company also polled the favorable ratings of California's two U.S. Senators. Senator Feinstein has a 52-41 percent favorable rating; Boxer is at 50-44 percent. Both draw their strengths from overwhelming support from female voters.

Read More From SurveyUSA

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton is expanding her lead in California as excitement for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is fading among Golden State voters, a new Field Poll revealed Thursday.

The New York senator held a commanding lead over the Democratic field, with 49 percent support to 19 percent for Obama and 10 percent for former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.

The survey of 418 Californians likely to vote in the Feb. 5 Democratic presidential primary showed Clinton leading -- and gaining support -- in every demographic category and California region measured.

Read More From The Sacremento Bee

Saying Hillary Rodham Clinton was a leader who offered a new path, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today formally endorsed the New York senator and former first lady in her race to become president of the United States.

Villaraigosa will also serve as one of the four national chairs of Clinton's campaign for the Democratic nomination for president, it was announced.

Read More From The LA Times

While most Democrats focus either on the next round of presidential debates in early June or on accumulating fundraising numbers by the end of June, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s strategists in California are focused on…  January 12, 2008.

On that day, they believe, the first hard evidence will emerge of an idea they hope Americans (or at least Democratic primary voters) will accept: Hillary’s victory is inevitable.

Read More From Newsweek

California is finally set to be a major player in the presidential primary after the legislature on Tuesday approved a bill to move the primary election from June to Feb. 5, which would make it the largest of 18 states to hold its primary that day.

So, if the election were held today, who would win the California primary?

According to a CBS 5 statewide poll conducted by Survey USA, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton has a double-digit lead over fellow Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois among likely California Democratic voters. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards is running a distant third, followed by New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

Read More From CBS 5

Hillary Rodham Clinton took her turn Friday in the Bay Area's continuing march of presidential candidates, pitching to two key groups she's depending on for support: Progressive women and Democratic technology leaders.

Surrounded in San Francisco by an enthusiastic crowd of 1,000, mostly women who paid $250 or more for a boxed lunch, Clinton declared she is ``not running as a woman candidate. I'm running because I think I'm the best person to hit the ground running.''

Read More From The Mercury News

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has spent much of the last month behind closed doors, putting the final touches on a presidential campaign-in-waiting.

Her hectic schedule has been crammed with private lunches and phone conversations with elected officials and political operatives. She has sounded out Democratic Party officials from New York to Des Moines about her chances and hired a cadre of new campaign aides.

And she has made time for television interviews, re-releases of her books and delicately timed appearances with her high-wattage husband.
Read More From The LA Times

Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, has generated enormous buzz in recent weeks as a possible presidential candidate, and "people are very, very excited about him as a great, up-and-coming Democratic personality,'' says Susie Buell, one of the country's leading Democratic donors and a loyal supporter of Hillary Clinton.

But on Obama as a presidential candidate, she says, "not now.''

"We are in a terrible time right now, between Iraq and global warming, and there's no messing around,'' says Buell, who -- along with her husband, Mark Buell -- has contributed more than $160,000 to Democratic causes since 2005. "It's not just about charisma, but about capability.''

Read More From The San Francisco Gate