"Front-runner" can be a tenuous word. But when it comes to at least one group, Hillary Clinton is far and away the leader â?? the Democratic Party establishment.
There's no better measure of that establishment than unpledged party leaders and elected official delegates, better known as "superdelegates."
Among this group, Clinton leads Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders 359 to 8, according to an AP survey of the group that will help elect the nominee at the Democratic National Convention in July. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has two people supporting him from this group.
AP was able to reach 80 percent of the 712 superdelegates; 210 delegates remain undecided.
It's true that Clinton also led in the superdelegate race in the 2008 presidential cycle and eventually lost to Barack Obama. But Clinton's support is far greater than what it was around this time in 2007.
Back then, AP found that 169 superdelegates were for Clinton; Obama had 63 of the 90 percent they contacted in December 2007. That's a nearly 3-to-1 advantage. Her lead this year is 45 to 1.
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Clinton Has 45-To-1 'Superdelegate' Advantage Over Sanders : NPR