Clinton re-elected, but avoids US presidential race

US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton readied a New York state-wide victory tour today after romping to re-election – a political milestone that bolstered her status as the Democratic front-runner for the 2008 presidential nomination.

Clinton easily dispensed with her Republican challenger, former Yonkers Mayor John Spencer, winning nearly 67 per cent of the vote in a lopsided contest. She planned to fly from Manhattan to stops elsewhere in the state today where she was certain to face new questions about her presidential campaign plans.