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Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks at Georgetown University in Washington in this Dec. 3, 2014, file photo. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) more >

Eighty-five percent of Democrats want to see former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, the partys frontrunner for the 2016 presidential nomination, enter the race, compared to just 11 percent who say they dont want to see her run, according to a new poll from CBS News.

Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. was actually the only other potential Democratic contender to be rated one way or the other by a majority of Democrats; 40 percent want him to run and 38 percent say they do not.

But about eight-in-10 Democrats say they have not heard enough about either outgoing Maryland Gov. Martin OMalley or former Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia to say. Mr. Webb is the only candidate on the Democratic side to have taken formal steps toward a run in 2016, recently forming an exploratory committee as he weighs a bid.

But 71 percent say they havent heard enough about Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vermont Independent, to say whether they think he should run, and 65 percent say the same about New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Even Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who has risen to become a populist hero among progressive groups and has fended off pleas to enter the race from liberals, wasnt well known enough for 57 percent of Democrats to say either way. Twenty-three percent say theyd like to see her enter the race and 20 percent say they wouldnt.

The survey of 1,001 adults was taken from Jan. 9-12 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 6 percent among the results compiled form Democrats.

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Hillary Clinton run wanted by 85 percent of Democrats: poll

With Hillary Clintons not-yet-official presidential campaign revving up, the shadow campaigns are winding down. And as part of that, the outside Democratic groups that support her are discussing how to merge their efforts to help Clinton.

Ready for Hillary, the energetic, pro-Clinton super PAC, plans to shut down for good if and when Clinton announces for president, but not before finding a home for two key assets: A massive e-mail list of roughly 3 million supporters that the group has generated and its extensive social media network, which includes more than 2 million Facebook fans and roughly 150,000 followers.

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Both are seen as opportunities for marketing and outreach that can live beyond the existence of Ready for Hillary.

The e-mail list and corresponding data are expected to be transferred to Clintons official campaign in what is called a list swap a legally complicated process that will surely be scrutinized by outside groups, such as the Campaign Legal Center, which work to enforce campaign finance laws.

The fate of Ready for Hillarys social media accounts is still undecided.

But, Adam Parkhomenko, the Executive Director of the super PAC has an idea: Transfer its Facebook and Twitter accounts in to the hands of another pro-Democratic group, Emilys List.

"At the end of the day, if they wanted it, Facebook and Twitter would probably move to Emilys List," Parkhomenko told ABC News in a recent interview.

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Two Pro-Clinton Groups in Talks to Join Social Media Forces

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks with the media at the Peppermill restaurant Friday, Jan. 16, 2015, in Las Vegas. Paul is a possible Republican presidential candidate. (AP Photo/John Locher) more >

Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, reiterated what could become a go-to attack line for a would-be presidential campaign over the weekend, saying that former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clintons response to the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack on a U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, precludes her from becoming president.

Hillary Clinton got cable after cable to protect the consulate in Benghazi. And what did she do? Nothing, Mr. Paul told supporters in Reno, according to the Gazette-Journal. I say, Hillary Clintons behavior of not providing adequate support should absolutely preclude her from ever being considered as president.

The State Department has been faulted for inadequate security leading up the attack, which left four Americans dead, including the U.S. Ambassador to Libya but a recent bipartisan report from the House Intelligence Committee largely cleared the CIA of intentional wrongdoing in the run-up to the attack.

Mr. Pauls comments drew a response from a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, who cited Mr. Pauls past support for cutting foreign aid and last years partial shutdown of the federal government as reasons that he should not be considered for president.

If Rand Paul wants to talk about whats disqualifying for being president, he should look in the mirror, said DNC spokesman Mo Elleithee. Spreading conspiracies about Benghazi, which even an investigation by the Republican-controlled House Intelligence Committee found that the CIA and military acted properly and that there was no wrongdoing by the Obama administration, is disqualifying.

Rand Paul is deft at political primary trolling, but being president is a lot harder than that, Mr. Elleithee continued. On the issues that matter most to our security and economy, hes disqualified himself from any serious consideration.

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Rand Paul: Benghazi precludes Hillary Clinton from being considered for president

Published January 18, 2015

Hillary Clinton appears to have scared away much of the competition should she seek the Democratic nomination for president in 2016. But her early and practically all-encompassing effort also presents the potential liability that she will sail through the primary season largely untested for the bare-knuckled general election.

And it could deny Democrats the chance to define themselves to Americans, strategists say.

It's not good for a party because the Democratic Party needs a real debate about what it's for, who it's for, what it's about and where we'll take the country, says Dennis Kucinich, a former Democratic congressman, presidential candidate and a Fox News contributor.

The 67-year-old Clinton plans to make an official announcement in early 2015, leaving some doubt about whether she will indeed run. But her frontrunner status is unquestionable.

She has roughly 62 percent of the likely vote and leads all potential Democratic challengers by a numbing 49.5 percentage points.

And those numbers combined with an ambitious public-speaking schedule and the fundraising and cheerleading group Ready for Hillary are making it difficult for potential primary challengers to raise money.

In addition, Clintons most formidable, likely primary challenger now, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, insists shes not running, leaving the Democratic field so wide open that 73-year-old Bernie Sanders, an independent and junior senator from Vermont, is now fourth behind Clinton, Warren and Vice President Biden, according an averaging of polls by RealClearPolitics.com

I think you miss the chance to vet ideals, says Richard Fowler, a Democrat and host of the progressive-leaning Richard Fowler Talk Show. I think that's what elections are about.Elections are about ideals and how ideals would then turn into policy that will then turn into how we govern.

Clinton, a former first lady, secretary of State and New York senator, hasnt been in a campaign-style debate since 2008, when she lost the Democratic presidential primary to President Obama, then a freshman Illinois senator.

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BATTLE UNTESTED? Easy ride in '16 primary may leave Clinton vulnerable

Under scrutiny: Senator Elizabeth Warren's politics will put the economic legacy of former US president Bill Clinton and, by extension, Hillary Clinton on trial. Photo: Getty

US Senator Elizabeth Warren has an explanation for the singular nature of her power.

"I'll always be an outsider. That's how I understand the world," the Massachusetts Democrat said in an interview. "There's a real benefit to being clear about this. I know why I'm here. I think about this every morning before I open my eyes, and I'm still thinking about it every night when I go to sleep."

Being the target of that kind of focus can be an excruciating experience - the freshest case in point being investment banker Antonio Weiss, whom President Barack Obama put forward last year as his nominee for treasury undersecretary for domestic finance.

Proud outsider: Senator Elizabeth Warren's economic populism might provide the path forward for the Democrats. Photo: AP

Initially seen as a highly credentialed and uncontroversial pick for a low-profile post, Mr Weiss found himself up against a storm of opposition, led by Mrs Warren, who said he was yet another example of Wall Street cronyism within the Obama administration.

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On Monday, Mr Weiss wrote a letter to the President asking that his name be taken out of consideration.

The tussle sent yet another signal, maybe the clearest yet, of how Mrs Warren intends to wield her growing clout. It showed that she and her brand of populism are forces to be reckoned with - not only by Mr Obama and his team, but also by the Democrats' likely 2016 presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton.

"It's not about Antonio Weiss personally," said Simon Johnson, an outspoken Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor and former International Monetary Fund chief economist, who admires Mrs Warren and shares her views. "What it's really about is the presidential election."

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Meet Elizabeth Warren, the senator Hillary Clinton must reckon with in 2016