A national poll released Wednesday finds former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with an overwhelming lead for the Democratic presidential nomination and a solid lead over any Republican rivals in potential 2016 matchups.
Clinton takes 61 percent of Democrats in a new Quinnipiac poll. Vice President Joe Biden places a very distant second with 11 percent. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., stands in third with 7 percent, followed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York with 2 percent. U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., takes 1 percent, followed by Gov. Martin OMalley of Maryland who garners less than 1 percent.
"As she watches the hand-to-hand political combat in Washington, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton remains above the fray and the queen of the 2016 mountain," said Peter Brown, the assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "Recent rumblings about a Vice President Joseph Biden candidacy aside, she is six times better among Democrats than is he and in head-to-head match-ups with Republicans, she dominates. We've got a long way to 2016, but at this point she looks very very strong."
While theres a clear favorite for the Democratic nomination, the poll finds Republicans remain divided. U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., leads with 17 percent followed by Gov. Chris Christie with 13 percent, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., with 12 percent and former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida with 11 percent. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., are tied for fifth with 10 percent each. Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin takes 4 percent while Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana lags behind with 3 percent.
"The race for the GOP nomination remains wide open with a handful of candidates bunched together in low double-digits," Brown said. "Sen. Ted Cruz's high-profile role opposing Obamacare has added him to that group, but he probably will have to find other ways to keep his star rising.
A poll released last week from Public Policy Polling (PPP), a firm with connections to prominent Democrats, found Cruz leading the GOP pack.
"Over the last several months, Sen. Marco Rubio's star has fallen a bit and Sen. Rand Paul's has risen, while Gov. Jeb Bush, Gov. Christopher Christie and Congressman Paul Ryan have essentially been flickering in place, Brown said.
The poll finds Clinton with strong leads over some of the leading Republicans. In hypothetical 2016 match-ups, Clinton routs Cruz 54 percent to 31 percent and beats Paul 53 percent to 36 percent. Christie does the best against Clinton, but she leads 49 percent to 36 percent.
The poll of 1,497 regsitered voters was taken from Sept. 23-29 and had a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com.
