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Former first lady, senator, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would enter the presidential race with positive views of her past experience and personal traits, making her a formidable contender against lesser-known Republican rivals.

Greater numbers of Americans view her as a strong leader, who hasa better vision for the future, shares their values, and empathizes with their concerns, according to a new Bloomberg Politics poll. Among the Republicans tested against her, former Republican nominee Mitt Romney has the best name recognition and strengths to challenge her standing as this early stage in the 2016 race. Romney, however, has repeatedly said he won't campaign for the presidency for a third time.

With poll participants saying she is better than her potential Republican opponents on these four qualities, including the traditionally Republican strength of leadership, Clinton is positioned quite differently than President Barack Obama was during his re-election bid.In 2012, Romney won by 13 percentage points among voters who said the quality that mattered most in deciding how they voted for president wasa candidate who "shares your values," by 23 points among those looking for a "strong leader," and by nine percentage points among those who prioritized a candidate with a "vision for the future," according to the election's exit polls with voters that were collected byEdison Research for the National Election Pool, a consortium of national media outlets.For Obama, a 63-percentage-point lead among voters who most valued acandidate who "cares about people like me" was a key attribute that helped propel him to victory.

Bloomberg Graphics

Her image and reputation with voters has been defined, and in some ways redefined, by her service as Secretary of State, where voters saw someone who was a strong leader in representing our country, said Geoff Garin, a Democratic polling expert who worked for Clintons unsuccessful primary campaign against Obama. If she runs, she comes to this election in much better shape then she did in the 2008."

While Clinton lacks Obamas overwhelming empathy advantage, she's better positioned two years before the election in every other attribute. When respondents were asked which potential candidate did a better job on each of four qualities, she runs seven to 20 points ahead on leadership when pitted against former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, and Romney.Though Clinton has yet to provide a detailed account of how she'd guide the nation as president, Americans think she has more of a vision for the future than any in the Republican field. When measured on that attribute, she leads Romney by 6 points, Paul by 10 points, Bush by 15 points, Christie by 17 points, and Cruz by 21 points.

Bloomberg Graphics

A different story emerges when the potential presidential match-ups are tested among what likely voters say they value most. Clinton lags behind all the Republicans among likely voters who named sharing your values as their top quality in selecting a candidate. One reason for the shift is that a plurality41 percentof Republicans identified "shared values" as their most important trait. Maryanna Preston, a Florida clinical psychologist who favors Republican candidates, said she found Clinton untrustworthy. I would not want her running this country, she said. She is a power-hungry woman wanting to be the first woman president of the United States. I think shes dangerous.

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Clinton Trumps Republican Rivals on Leadership, Vision for ...