Three out of four Democratic insiders in the early states believe testifying before Congress about the attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, will work to Hillary Clinton’s advantage.

This week’s survey of The POLITICO Caucus, a bipartisan group of the most influential activists, operatives and elected officials in Iowa and New Hampshire, found that most Democrats think it would be beneficial to Clinton when she is called to discuss the matter before Congress, something she is expected to do at some point, likely this summer.


Earlier this week, Sidney Blumenthal, a Clinton ally, was subpoenaed by a House committee investigating the incident, which in the past has been a major galvanizing issue for Republicans critical of Clinton’s role when she was secretary of state.

Democrats were skeptical that Clinton would get a fair hearing, but were confident she would do a good job shutting down questioners in the hopes of moving on from the issue.

“Republicans prefer the safety of manufactured outrage on Benghazi. In person, I think Clinton will crush their questions,” said an Iowa Democrat.

Added a New Hampshire Democrat, “As she has proven many times before, Hillary is not afraid to testify and is a very good witness; she will walk out of the hearing room enhanced.”

A majority of Republicans — nearly 60 percent — also said it would be helpful for Clinton to address the issue head-on (she appeared before Congress once before on this issue in 2013). Several Republicans warned some in their party could overdo the confrontation, which could work to Clinton’s advantage if she appears to be answering questions openly and honestly.

“It is a real opportunity for her to face this and defuse it—the R’s will not be able to resist the temptation to gang up and it may actually engender some sympathy for her, hard as that is to imagine,” said a New Hampshire Republican.

Another Granite State Republican acknowledged, “Hillary is at her strongest when she answers her critics head-on. She should embrace it — and hope her opponents overplay their hands. Which they could do, easily.”

An Iowa Republican added, “Do not underestimate the ability of Republican House members to overplay their hand and appear more focused on scoring partisan points than ascertaining the truth.”

The issue of Clinton’s handling of the Benghazi tragedy itself appears to have faded slightly from the minds of GOP primary voters, though one nonpartisan Iowan said that if the former secretary of state testifies, “The testimony keeps the story alive and in the newspapers on a daily basis. Also continues to give Republicans reason to talk about it on the campaign trail.”

Still, 74 percent of Democrats and 22 percent of Republicans — including one-third of the 15 New Hampshire Republicans who responded this week — say that the Benghazi attack is not quite as much of a hot-button issue for the GOP base as it was in the aftermath of the attacks and during the 2014 midterm elections.

“The nut job conspiracy theorists on the fringe love the issue. Everyone else sees shades of gray in a horrible, messy, tragic situation, and how it was handled,” said a New Hampshire Republican. “Could have happened just as easily in a Republican administration.”

An Iowa Republican who also thinks the issue has faded, reacted very differently, saying, “Sadly I think many people have forgotten about the issue. Perhaps with congressional hearings and a campaign it will again gain attention.”

In any case, the issue still moves the dial, according to 78 percent of Republicans surveyed. “It’s a rally cry that still unifies activists,” an Iowa Republican said.

Here are four other takeaways from this week’s POLITICO Caucus:

The furor surrounding the release of Clinton’s emails isn’t breaking through … yet.

A judge ruled this week that the emails Clinton sent from a personal account during her time at the State Department should be released on a rolling basis. Clinton herself also said this week that she wants the emails, which have been the subject of significant controversy because she sent government communications through a personal account, released as soon as possible. But 96 percent of Democrats and about one-third of Republicans say voters aren’t paying much attention yet.

“So Beltway,” yawned an Iowa Democrat. Another one added, “Second-rate Clinton ‘scandals’ are like seasonal allergies: predictable and annoying but not concerning.”

A New Hampshire Democrat said, “[This] is reporter-land territory, not kitchen table people land territory.”

Republicans saw the extended scrutiny of her emails as potentially more damaging. But one New Hampshire Republican noted, “This has drawn out (and will continue to draw out) so long that people have become numb to it, regardless of the seriousness of the issue.”

Still, said other Republicans, reminders that Clinton was using her own email to do official government business reinforce problematic narratives — that the Clintons are secretive and see themselves as above the law.

“Democrats try to dismiss the email scandal as white noise and Beltway chatter, but the saga reinforces with voters all the worst attributes of the Clintons: secrecy, arrogance, hypocrisy and one set of rules for them and a different for everyone else,” said a New Hampshire Republican who believes the issue is hurting Clinton. “… Undercutting and discrediting Clinton’s secretary of state bona fides is going to be a big part of the GOP strategy for defeating her in 2016, and the emails are going to play a key role in that process.”

Republicans don’t want to see a crowded debate stage — and Democrats are gleeful at the prospect.

Close to 20 Republicans could seek the GOP nomination this year, and many campaigns are obsessing over which candidates will make the cut and whether the standards for inclusion in the debates are fair. On Wednesday, it became clear that the television networks would set the rules for some of the early debates. Before that news broke, insiders were asked whether everyone should be allowed onstage — and 87 percent of Republicans said no. But many also said that finding the right threshold for inclusion would be a daunting task.

“There is no good answer but whoever picks should get armed protection for the rest of his or her natural life,” said one New Hampshire Republican.

Others suggested fundraising and polling thresholds, but recognized that there was no way to placate all the campaigns. So far, Fox News and CNN have indicated that polling averages will be a factor.

“You probably have to use polling and fundraising parameters, but the candidates will scream about it,” added another Republican Granite Stater.

Democrats, on the other hand, relish the prospect of messy debates marked by long-shot GOP candidates taking valuable time away from more viable contenders.

“Please include every single one — please!” urged one Iowa Democrat.

Another offered, “The crazier the candidate, the more air time they should get.”

Insiders on both sides were preoccupied by the question of whether Donald Trump would qualify to compete.

“Filed presidential committee (to smoke out Trump once and for all),” should be a key criterion, advised one Iowa Republican.

Jeb Bush’s Iraq headache isn’t over yet.

Last week, Bush fumbled several attempts to answer the question of whether he would have invaded Iraq if he had known at the time of intelligence failures. Ultimately he spelled out that he wouldn’t have, and he was back on the campaign trail this week seeking to bounce back. But 61 percent of Republicans and 85 percent of Democrats say he has not put the issue behind him.

“He’s able to move on and talk about other things, but that clip is going to come back to bite him one way or the other in the next seven months,” said an Iowa Republican.

“The video lasts forever,” added an Iowa Democrat.

Hillary Clinton was also asked about her Iraq position this week, an issue that plagued her during the 2008 primary. But she called her Senate vote authorizing the war a mistake, and 80 percent of Democrats surveyed this week said that’s good enough for them.

Rick Santorum shouldn’t expect a repeat of his 2012 performance.

The former Pennsylvania senator, who in 2012 won the Iowa caucuses and stayed in the Republican primary far longer than expected, is expected to announce another presidential bid next week. But an overwhelming majority of Republican insiders surveyed — 93 percent — said he won’t match or outpace his performance from last time. Forty-one percent said Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is in the best position to win social conservatives in Iowa and New Hampshire, followed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker at 23 percent, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at 18 percent. Santorum got 2 percent.

These are the members of The POLITICO Caucus (not all of whom participated this week):

Iowa: Tim Albrecht, Brad Anderson, Rob Barron, Jeff Boeyink, Bonnie Campbell, Dave Caris, Sam Clovis, Sara Craig, Jerry Crawford, John Davis, Steve Deace, John Deeth, Derek Eadon, Ed Failor Jr., Karen Fesler, David Fischer, Doug Gross, Steve Grubbs, Tim Hagle, Bob Haus, Joe Henry, Drew Ivers, Jill June, Lori Jungling, Jeff Kaufmann, Brian Kennedy, Jake Ketzner, David Kochel, Chris Larimer, Chuck Larson, Jill Latham, Jeff Link, Dave Loebsack, Mark Lucas, Liz Mathis, Andy McGuire, Jan Michelson, Chad Olsen, Matt Paul, Marlys Popma, Troy Price, Christopher Rants, Kim Reem, Craig Robinson, Sam Roecker, David Roederer, Nick Ryan, Tamara Scott, Joni Scotter, Karen Slifka, John Smith, AJ Spiker, Norm Sterzenbach, John Stineman, Matt Strawn, Phil Valenziano, Jessica Vanden Berg, Nate Willems, Eric Woolson, Grant Young

New Hampshire: Charlie Arlinghaus, Arnie Arnesen, Patrick Arnold, Rich Ashooh, Dean Barker, Juliana Bergeron, D.J. Bettencourt, Michael Biundo, Ray Buckley, Peter Burling, Jamie Burnett, Debby Butler, Dave Carney, Jackie Cilley, Catherine Corkery, Garth Corriveau, Fergus Cullen, Lou D’Allesandro, James Demers, Mike Dennehy, Sean Downey, Steve Duprey, JoAnn Fenton, Jennifer Frizzell, Martha Fuller Clark, Amanda Grady Sexton, Jack Heath, Gary Hirshberg, Jennifer Horn, Peter Kavanaugh, Joe Keefe, Rich Killion, Harrell Kirstein, Sylvia Larsen, Joel Maiola, Kate Malloy Corriveau, Maureen Manning, Steve Marchand, Tory Mazzola, Jim Merrill, Jayne Millerick, Claira Monier, Greg Moore, Terie Norelli, Chris Pappas, Liz Purdy, Tom Rath, Colin Reed, Jim Rubens, Andy Sanborn, Dante Scala, William Shaheen, Stefany Shaheen, Carol Shea-Porter, Terry Shumaker, Andy Smith, Craig Stevens, Kathy Sullivan, Chris Sununu, James Sununu, Jay Surdukowski, Donna Sytek, Kari Thurman, Colin Van Ostern, Deb Vanderbeek, Mike Vlacich, Ryan Williams.

Kristen Hayford contributed to this report.