On Monday, Hillary Rodham Clinton again said she had not yet decided whether she would run for president in 2016. That has not stopped the Democratic Party from coalescing around her.
A new survey conducted by The Hill found that 56 Democratic lawmakers said they would support Mrs. Clinton in 2016. The list, released early Tuesday, included 22 congressional Democrats who had already publicly endorsed the former first lady, and 34 other Democrats who told The Hill that they, too, would support her.
The wave of early enthusiasm not only signals an interest in electing Mrs. Clinton as the party’s nominee, but also reinforces the somewhat limited landscape on the Democratic side should she choose not to run.
Representative Steny H. Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland, said he would back Mrs. Clinton, even though the governor of his state, Martin O’Malley, is a potential opponent of hers. In November, Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York endorsed Mrs. Clinton in a speech in Iowa; Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York has also been floated as a potential 2016 candidate.
Also on the list of supporters is Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who has gained popularity among some Democrats who would like her to represent the more progressive side of the party in 2016.
The early endorsements could come as a mixed blessing to the Clinton operation, which will need to tamp down the image of inevitability that impeded Mrs. Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2008. Eleven of the lawmakers surveyed by The Hill, including Senators Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, endorsed Barack Obama over Mrs. Clinton that year.
The Hill spoke to each lawmaker twice to ask whether they would support Mrs. Clinton. A majority of those questioned did not respond or declined to comment. Below is the complete list of Clinton supporters surveyed:
Senators who back Clinton (18):
Tammy Baldwin, Wisconsin
Barbara Boxer, California
Maria Cantwell, Washington
Dianne Feinstein, California
Kirsten Gillibrand, New York
Kay Hagan, North Carolina
Heidi Heitkamp, North Dakota
Mazie K. Hirono, Hawaii
Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota
Mary L. Landrieu, Louisiana
Claire McCaskill, Missouri
Barbara A. Mikulski, Maryland
Patty Murray, Washington
Charles E. Schumer, New York
Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire
Debbie Stabenow, Michigan
Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts
Sheldon Whitehouse, Rhode Island
House members who back Mrs. Clinton (38):
Robert E. Andrews, New Jersey
Timothy H. Bishop, New York
David Cicilline, Rhode Island
Joaquin Castro, Texas
Danny K. Davis, Illinois
John Delaney, Maryland
Lois Frankel, Florida
Gene Green, Texas
Raul M. Grijalva, Arizona
Luis V. Gutierrez, Illinois
Janice Hahn, California
Colleen Hanabusa, Hawaii
Alcee L. Hastings, Florida
Brian Higgins, New York
Michael M. Honda, California
Steny H. Hoyer, Maryland
Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas
Hank Johnson, Georgia
Jim Langevin, Rhode Island
Sander M. Levin, Michigan
John Lewis, Georgia
Stephen F. Lynch, Massachusetts
Carolyn B. Maloney, New York
Doris Matsui, California
Gregory W. Meeks, New York
Grace Meng, New York
James P. Moran, Virginia
Richard E. Neal, Massachusetts
Chellie Pingree, Maine
Cedric L. Richmond, Louisiana
Tim Ryan, Ohio
Jan Schakowsky, Illinois
Allyson Y. Schwartz, Pennsylvania
David Scott, Georgia
Terri A. Sewell, Alabama
Louise M. Slaughter, New York
Dina Titus, Nevada
Frederica S. Wilson, Florida
