Speed Reads

2016 Watch

Hillary Clinton's nonexistent campaign has already raised millions of dollars

Andrew Burton/Getty Images

Hillary Clinton says she is "thinking about" running for president in 2016. And if she does get in the race, she'll have a huge stack of money waiting to boost her campaign. Well, technically, she won't have all that money — but a couple of super PACs backing her sure will.

The group Ready for Hillary announced Thursday it had raised $1.7 million in the first quarter of the year, bringing its total haul up to $5.75 million. Incredibly, the group has only been around for about a year, and Clinton isn't even a declared candidate yet. Imagine how loaded the organization will be if and when Clinton announces her campaign?

Meanwhile, the mammoth super PAC Priorities USA — which helped re-elect President Obama — reportedly had $3.04 million in "cash on hand" in December. President Obama's former campaign manager and Priorities co-chairman Jim Messina told The New York Times earlier this year that his group "is going to be there for [Clinton] if she decides to run."