Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush are polling highest among potential 2016 GOP candidates, while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton remains in a firm lead among Democrats, a
Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday shows.
Walker netted 18 percent of the 554 Republicans or Republican-leaning voters in the poll taken between Feb. 26-March 2, while Bush came in a very close second place, with 16 percent of the vote. The poll of Republicans carried a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points, putting Bush and Walker head-to-head in the polling.
The Quinnipiac poll echoes overall national numbers, with
Real Clear Politics poll averaging putting Walker slightly ahead of other potential GOP candidates by less than 1 percentage point.
Meanwhile, Clinton netted 56 percent of the 493 Democrats polled. Her nearest potential challenger, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, brought in just 14 percent, with the Democrat side of the poll carrying a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
"Clinton virtually unchallenged among Democrats," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. "Her 4-1 margin over Sen. Elizabeth Warren and 5-1 lead over Vice President Joseph Biden say it's hers if she wants it."
In overall national averages, Real Clear Politics shows
Clinton ahead of the other potential Democratic candidates by 44 percentage points.
In the Quinnipiac poll, Walker and Bush both beat other potential GOP candidates by double-digit margins.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee took 8 percent of the vote each, Ben Carson grabbed 7 percent, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz each netted 6 percent, and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida took 5 percent.
No other potential Republican 2016 contender came in at above 2 percent, and 17 percent of the voters remained undecided.
Both Bush and Walker remained at the top of the polling even if one or the other decides not to run. If Walker stays out of the race, the voters polled said, 18 percent would pick Bush; 10 percent Carson; 9 percent each for Christie and Huckabee; 8 percent Cruz and Paul; and 7 percent Rubio.
If Bush stayed out, though, 20 percent of the voters said they'd go for Walker; 10 percent, Christie; 9 percent Huckabee; 8 percent Cruz and Paul; and 7 percent Rubio.
On the Democratic side of the ticket, Biden followed Warren with 10 percent of the voters and 4 percent said they'd vote for Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders. Another 14 percent of the voters said they are still undecided.
But while Warren came in second overall among Democrats polled, the numbers changed drastically if Clinton would decide not to run. If that were the case, voters in the poll said, 35 percent would choose Biden; 25 percent Warren; and 7 percent Sanders. Another 25 percent were undecided.
The poll showed some problems though, for Christie and Bush, who lead the GOP "no list."
Among Republicans polled, 16 percent named both Christie and Bush as the candidates they "would definitely not support."
Biden leads the "no" list among Democrats, with 10 percent saying they would not vote for him, followed by former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, with 8 percent.
But the news was even worse for real estate mogul Donald Trump, with 51 percent of the 1,286 overall voters surveyed saying they would definitely not vote for him and another 25 percent saying they probably would not vote for him.
Overall, just 30 percent of the voters, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points, said they want the next president to continue with President Barack Obama's policies, with 59 percent wanting the next president to change direction.
Clinton topped the poll among overall voters choosing a winner for 2016. Bush came the closest, with 42 percent to Clinton's 52 percent. She also topped other Republicans, coming in at 46-39 percent over Christie, 47-41 percent over Paul, 47-40 percent over Huckabee, 46-41 percent over Rubio, 48-39 percent over Walker, and 48-38 percent over Cruz.
Clinton also had a slightly higher favorability rating among the overall voters, with 48 percent favorable and 45 percent not.
The favorable ratings for Republican candidates were 32-39 percent for Christie; 31-31 percent for Paul; 34-32 percent for Huckabee; 34-40 percent for Bush; 30-22 percent for Rubio, with 48 percent saying they didn't know enough about him to form an opinion; 23-24 percent for Walker, with 52 percent not knowing enough about him; and 23–29 percent for Cruz, with 46 percent saying they didn't know enough about him.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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