Hillary Clinton Is The Biggest Democratic Presidential Nomination Frontrunner Ever

Hillary Clinton is the biggest frontrunner ever for the Democratic presidential nomination.

That's according to a new Washington Post/ABC News poll, which finds the former Secretary of State Clinton with a 73-12 lead over Vice President Joe Biden in a hypothetical 2016 Democratic primary race. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) gets 8% of the vote.

As the WaPo points out, Clinton's 61-point lead is nearly three times as large as it was in 2006, when the conventional wisdom held that she would be the 2008 Democratic nominee. In 2006, she took 39% of the theoretical vote, compared to then-Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and John Edwards (D-N.C.). But this time, her support is well over 50%.

The next-largest lead for a Democratic candidate over his theoretical primary foes was then-Vice President Al Gore's 37-point advantage in March 1999.

Clinton hasn't yet made a decision on whether she'll enter the race, but almost everyone in the world of politics expects her to run. She has said that she will make a decision this year.

According to the new poll, 58% of registered voters have a favorable view of Clinton, compared to 38% who view her unfavorably. That includes a 52-41 favorable-to-unfavorable split among political independents.

The Republican primary field is much more crowded. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the 2012 Republican vice presidential nominee, leads the field with 20% of the vote among leaned Republicans. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (18%), New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (13%), and Sen. Ted Cruz (12%) are next in line.