Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) look like the most formidable candidates for their respective parties in the next presidential election, according to a national poll released Thursday that surveys the 2016 field.
The poll from Quinnipiac University showed Clinton easily topping Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) in hypothetical 2016 matchups. Pitted against Rubio, Clinton claimed the support of 50 percent of registered voters nationwide — besting the junior Florida senator by 16 points. Clinton’s 12-point edge over Ryan was smaller but she still hit 50 percent support. The poll showed a more competitive matchup between Clinton and Christie, but the former first lady and New York senator still emerged on top, 45 percent to 38 percent.
But Christie held the upper-hand against two other potential Democratic nominees. The outspoken governor topped Vice President Joe Biden 43 percent to 40 percent and claimed a 17-point advantage over New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D). Voters gave the nod to Biden over Rubio and Ryan by margins of 7 and 3 points respectively. The poll found Cuomo in the weakest position among the three Democratic aspirants tested. He trailed Ryan by 5 points and tied Rubio, 37 percent to 37 percent.
The 2016 race has already been extensively polled, and the results of Quinnipiac’s latest reflect previous findings that also showed Clinton and Christie as the top early contenders. Clinton currently holds a rougly 6.5-point lead over Christie, according to the PollTracker Average.
