Hillary Needed "Now More Than Ever," Says Senator

Another powerful Democrat lined up behind the still-unofficial Hillary 2016 effort Tuesday. Senator Dianne Feinstein penned a glowing endorsement of Clinton in Politico this morning, calling Clinton “transformative” and “one of the most impressive women I’ve ever known.” Feinstein focused on her former colleague’s Senate career, and said that the country needs her “now more than ever.”

Even though she came to the Senate as an international superstar, she immediately proved her mettle. She did her homework. She worked across the aisle. She didn’t get bogged down in party politics. She worked hard for her constituents. As a senator, Hillary committed herself completely to the nuts and bolts of legislating that separates the show horses from the workhorses in today’s Senate. She defied the skeptics by working not just with Democrats but by developing productive relationships with Republicans — many of the same senators who had been relentless critics of the Clinton administration.

It's not a surprise that Feinstein is supporting Clinton: Every female Democratic senator has already signed a letter urging Clinton to run for president in 2016. But every high-profile supporter who joins that growing apparatus increases the pressure on the former Secretary of State to run, and makes it just a little bit harder for her to justify not running.

A presidential campaign-in-waiting has sprouted up around Clinton, also known as Ready For Hillary, the super PAC that already has a plan laid out. It’s rare, by the way, that prospective candidates have to justify not running for president — but then again, it’s rare for a politician to such near-unanimous support within her party as Clinton has.