Poll Shows Clinton, Christie Leading 2016 Contenders

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are tied at 41 percent each in a head-to-head presidential poll in Iowa, according to a new survey by Quinnipiac University.

The survey of 1,256 registered Iowa voters taken July 15-17 found that the Republican governor edged Clinton by a slim margin of 37 percent to 36 percent among independents and leads 45 percent to 35 percent among men. But Clinton, the poll found, beat Christie among Iowa women by 47 percent to 37 percent.

When it came to favorability ratings, 52 percent of Iowans said they have a favorable view of Clinton, compared to 41 percent who do not. Christie, however, registered a 42 percent favorability rating compared to only 16 percent who said they didn't care for him.

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"Christie's favorability ratio of almost 3-1 is impressive," Peter Brown, assistant director of Quinnipiac's Polling Institute, said in a statement.

"The question is whether he can sustain it as he becomes better known. If so, he could be a strong contender in 2016. Quinnipiac has tested Clinton against a variety of Republicans in a number of states, and Christie seems to be running the best so far."

In another one-on-one match-up, Clinton leads Republican Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin by 46 percent to 39 percent among Iowa voters.

The Quinnipiac survey also found that Christie tops Vice President Joe Biden 49 percent to 32 percent in Iowa, and Walker leads Biden 42 to 39 percent.