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Democratic activists in early presidential nominating states say that new controversies swirling around Hillary Rodham Clinton have made them more eager than ever for alternatives in 2016.

The undercurrent of anxiety about Clintons vulnerabilities has grown in recent days with potentially damaging news of foreign donations to the Clinton Foundation and the former secretary of states use of private email accounts to conduct official business.

But as they survey the landscape, few Democrats see other credible contenders.

The problem is, theres nobody out there whos not Clinton whos the equivalent of Barack Obama, said Larry Drake, chairman of the Portsmouth Democrats in New Hampshire. He was a fresh face ... and he gave great speeches and he turned out to be electable.

The angst among Democrats offers new evidence that opportunities remain for other candidates despite Clintons commanding lead in early polls. H. Boyd Brown, a member of the Democratic National Committee from South Carolina who supports former Maryland governor Martin OMalley, said Clinton will not wear well as Democrats are exposed to a continuing drumbeat of press scrutiny.

Nobody down here wants a coronation, Brown said. We need options. Who knows what could happen. Its always good to have more than one candidate running.

Those arent some tabloid scandals,he said of the Clinton controversies. Those are job-related, national-security-related issues that matter.

As he heads to New Hampshire this weekend, OMalley is accelerating efforts to try to step into that breach. But in South Carolina last weekend and through a spokeswoman this week, OMalley again declined to talk about Clinton or articulate why Democrats who have already lined up behind her should start taking a closer look at him.

Regardless of what other candidates do, for my own part, I believe the way that this is supposed to work is that if candidates feel they have ideas that will move our country forward, they should make a decision based on that, he said in South Carolina. And then the people will decide once they get a chance to evaluate those ideas and those candidacies, which one best serves these times and our nation.

Still, OMalley provided fresh evidence this week that he is serious about becoming the alternative to Clinton by announcing that he wont pursue a safer bet in 2016: an open Senate seat in Maryland.

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Amid Clinton controversies, Democrats yearn for an alternative

Could Hillary Clinton be the one to lead the Democrats out of the Iran debacle?

Through the entire drama between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the woman who hopes to be the next president was nowhere to be seen.

Or heard.

She did give an interview in Winnipeg, Canada in which she echoed President Obama, warning that Russia and China might balk in the United Nations if the US Congress imposes sanctions before we even know the answers to the questions we are asking.

Yet no one in Congress not Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the co-sponsor of the leading sanctions bill, nor even more confrontational figures like, say, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is talking about imposing sanctions before we know the answers.

The Menendez bill that has triggered this tumult would restore sanctions only if Iran fails to reach a deal with the Obama administration, or defaults on any deal it makes.

Many Democrats have nonetheless worked themselves into an incredible lather. Its hard to recall anything quite like the on-camera nervous breakdown the Democratic left wing held after Netanyahus speech.

One congressman, John Yarmuth (D-Ky.), likened Netanyahu to a child. Another, Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), suggested Netanyahu, who was actually wounded in combat, has never seen a war he didnt want our country to fight.

The most shocking was Rep. Jan Shakowsky (D-Ill.), who mocked Netanyahu for backing the Iraq war.

If Saddam Hussein were toppled, she quoted Netanyahu as saying in 2002, I guarantee you that it will have enormous positive reverberations on the region, and I think that people sitting right next door in Iran, young people and many others, will say that the time of such regime and such despots is gone.

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Hillary the adult? She could lead Democrats to sanity on Iran

Congresswoman: Democrats #39;Rightly #39; Blocked DHS Funding Bill
Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee said Tuesday on C-SPAN #39;s Washington Journal that Senate Democrats rightly blocked a mute bill that would fund the Department of...

By: Roll Call

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Congresswoman: Democrats 'Rightly' Blocked DHS Funding Bill - Video

Democrats To Boycott Netanyahu #39;s Speech To Congress
In Jan. 2015, House Speaker Boehner invited Israel #39;s PM Netanyahu to talk to Congress about Iran relations. The problem: Boehner never consulted President Obama about the invitation. Some call...

By: AJ+

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Democrats To Boycott Netanyahu's Speech To Congress - Video

By Alexis Levinson Posted at 5 a.m. today

Blum, right, is a top Democratic target in 2016. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

In one of the partys best pickup opportunities this cycle, Democrats have zeroed in on second-time candidate Monica Vernon to win Iowas 1st District.

Freshman Rep. Rod Blum, a Republican, holds the seat.But the districts composition is competitive, if not left-leaning:In 2012, President Barack Obama won it with 56 percent. That makes it a ripe target forDemocrats, whomust net 30 seats on a GOP-friendly map to win the majority.

Its probably our toughest chance to hold onto something we have, said Iowa Republican consultant Cory Crowley.

The districts attractivenesshas sparked a feeding frenzy on the left. Two Democrats have already announced their candidacies: Vernon and hotel executive Ravi Patel. Several other Democrats are considering it: Gary Kroeger, an alumnus of Saturday Night Live, is mulling a bid; former Gov. Chet Culver is considering moving to the district so he can run; and sources said Iowa Utilities Board member Swati Dandekar might run again as well.

But Democrats interviewed for this story werefocused on Vernon, whom they perceived as anearly front-runner.

In a Feb. 27 phone interview with CQ Roll Call, Vernon said EMILYs List urged her to run, so Im very hopeful to earn their endorsement. And I was urged to run by the DCCC.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committe declined to comment. EMILYs List sent an encouraging tweet when Vernon announced, but did not comment for this article.

The Cedar Rapids city councilwoman placed second in the 2014 primary for the open seat behind state Rep. Pat Murphy, losing by 3,600 votes. Democrats criticized Murphy for taking the left-leaning districtfor granted and failing to build the necessary ground game, and he ultimately lost to Blum.

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Democrats Have Early Favorite House Pickup Opportunity