Special Report: U.S. midterm elections

U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton receives a hug from her husband, former U.S. president Bill Clinton (L) after being re-elected during the New York State Democratic Party midterm election night celebration in New York Nov. 7, 2006. (Xinhua/AFP. File Photo) Photo Gallery >>>

    BEIJING, Dec. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- She hasn't declared her intentions publicly, but sources close to Sen. Hillary Clinton say she is holding discussions about and interviewing potential campaign staff for a 2008 bid to become America's first female president.

    "She said before the election that after the election she would be considering a presidential run," said Howard Wolfson, a senior Clinton adviser. "Part of that process is seeking the advice and counsel of her colleagues in New York."

    Wolfson said Clinton, who won a landslide re-election to a six-year term in the New York Senate last month, has been holding private conversations with New York Democrats concerning a White House bid.

    Another source close to Clinton told CNN she has begun interviewing potential campaign staff.

    On Sunday, Clinton met New York's governor-elect, Eliot Spitzer, The Associated Press reported.

    "We just had a great, wide-ranging meeting on so many issues that affect the city, the state and the country," AP quoted Clinton as saying as she left the meeting at Spitzer's home in Manhattan.

    New York Sen. Charles Schumer, Clinton's Democratic colleague, told AP he would be meeting with Clinton in the next week.

    "She wants to sit down and talk next week, which we're going to do. It could be about legislation," AP quoted Schumer as saying. "I have no idea what it's about, and until we sit down and talk that's all I'm going to say about it. I think she'd make a very good president but let's wait and see. Everyone's sort of jumping the gun."

    A CNN poll taken two weeks ago showed the New York senator favored by 33 percent of people asked who they were "most likely to support for the Democratic nomination for president in the year 2008."

    Clinton was ranked first among 10 potential Democratic candidates. Second place for "likely" support was a statistical tie among Illinois Sen. Barack Obama (15 percent), former Vice President Al Gore (14 percent), and John Edwards (14 percent).

    Last week, Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack announced he would seek the Democratic nomination. Indiana Democrat Sen. Evan Bayh announced Sunday he is considering running for the White House.

    (Agencies)