‘Ready For Hillary’ PAC Taps Arkansas Audience

From KATV’s Scott Inman:

The next presidential election is still two-and-a-half years away, and no one has officially entered the race. But, the money is already flowing.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is the most talked about potential candidate, and while she has not said whether she’ll run, there are plenty of people who hope she will.

A Political Action Committee called “Ready for Hillary” has taken money from more than 50,000 supporters across the country. It hosted a North Little Rock fundraiser on Friday night.

“We’re trying to make sure that there is an outlet for all of this enthusiasm that is out there, not only in Arkansas, but in all 50 states of people who think that Hillary Clinton should be the next president of the United States,” said Craig Smith, senior advisor to the “Ready for Hillary” PAC.

Smith, an Arkansan who worked in the Clinton gubernatorial administration and now lives in Florida, is a key confidante of the Clintons. He was the first employee hired by the Clinton for President campaign in 1991.

Mrs. Clinton won the Democratic primary in Arkansas in 2008, but the state has voted for the Republican nominee in the past four presidential elections. Smith says he thinks Clinton can win Arkansas if she runs, because as he says, every time a Clinton has run, they’ve carried the state.

According to the polls, Clinton leads all potential Republican candidates in hypothetical head-to-head match-ups.

Inman interviewed Smith on this week’s Talk Business & Politics. You can view his full interview below.