Pro-Hillary Clinton group’s fundraising approaches $6 million

One of the organizations founded to prod Hillary Rodham Clinton to seek the White House in 2016 announced Thursday that it had raised more than $1.7 million in the first quarter of this year.

All told, the Ready for Hillary “super PAC,” one of several groups that are laying the groundwork for a potential Clinton campaign, has raised $5.8 million from more than 55,000 donors, nearly all of whom contributed $100 or less.

While other pro-Clinton efforts are focused on deep-pocketed donors and building a rapid-response operation to counter Republican attacks on Clinton, Ready for Hillary is using the money to build a national voter data file, recruit volunteers and organize in early electoral states such as Iowa, where Clinton’s loss in 2008 dealt a body blow to her first presidential bid.

The group has limited donations to $25,000 and is collecting funds in a multitude of ways, including a gay and lesbian fundraiser Monday in West Hollywood that had the symbolic ticket cost of $20.16, a pricier lobbyist-hosted fundraiser in Washington this month and a direct-mail campaign.

All this comes as Clinton, the former secretary of State, first lady and U.S. senator, travels the nation delivering speeches, prepares for a book release in June and weighs whether to make a second bid for the White House.

“I am thinking about it,” Clinton said Tuesday during a speech in San Francisco, responding to a question about the 2016 election, according to CNN. “But I am going to continue to think about it for a while.”

She added: “I am not going to make a decision for a while because, you know, I am actually enjoying my life. I am actually having fun doing ordinary things like seeing my friends and going on long walks and playing with our dogs.... At the end of the day, it is what really gives joy and meaning to your life.”

seema.mehta@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATSeema