Hillary Clinton courts Silicon Valley

Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and other Republican presidential hopefuls have vowed this is the year their party can tap a rich vein of support in Silicon Valley -- but the tech industry’s political elite may have another candidate in mind.

In 2008, Hillary Clinton wasn’t the industry’s favorite Democrat -- that crown belonged to Barack Obama. But as Clinton begins her 2016 fight and prepares for a major California swing, she’s laying the groundwork to dominate an industry and a region that remains strongly liberal, especially on social issues. Clinton has started speaking publicly about tech issues, from science education to the challenges faced by women in tech fields.