If the 2016 presidential election took place today, Hillary Clinton would be the next commander in chief, according to the results of a new
Quinnipiac University National Poll.
The former secretary of state dominates potential Democratic challengers and bests the GOP field by a margin of 7 to 9 percentage points.
Urgent: Should Hillary Run in 2016? Vote Now
Clinton strongly dominates within her own party, with 58 percent of Democrats surveyed saying they'd vote for her. The next closest contender was Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who garnered 11 percent support among Democrats, and Vice President Joe Biden with 9 percent.
Four percent of Democratic voters surveyed indicated they'd vote for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, while no other candidate topped 1 percent. Fifteen percent of Democrats said they are undecided.
In the GOP field, the race appears much tighter. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul led the pack with 11 percent, closely trailed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, each with 10 percent.
Just behind them at 8 percent was Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. Six percent of Republicans surveyed indicated they'd vote for Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. Twenty percent of GOP voters were undecided.
Despite strong support among her base, Clinton ranks poorly with Republicans, according to the poll, with 78 percent of GOP voters viewing her unfavorably, compared with just 6 percent of Democrats. Women favor her by between 16 and 19 percentage points while the margin among men is "too close to call," according to Quinnipiac.
Clinton has recently been in the hot seat about remarks she made on "Good Morning America" about her and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, being "dead broke" when leaving the White House after eight years, despite both signing multimillion dollar book deals and collecting hefty speaking fees.
Clinton later expounded on the comment by saying they were
"not truly well off," setting off more criticism that she is out of touch with average Americans. She has also been criticized for her performance as secretary of state, particularly her role in the 2012 Benghazi, Libya, attacks.
"Clinton takes a ton of heat on wealth, book sales and her legacy at the State Department, but she emerges with no serious Democratic challenger, while the Republican field remains clustered and flustered," Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, said in a statement.
Voters polled in the survey split over which party they prefer to have control of the Senate and the House, but they agreed in panning Congress' performance.
"Americans are split on whether they want Republican or Democratic wins in the midterms, but on one thing they are in complete agreement — Congress as a whole is doing a lousy job," Malloy said.
Urgent: Don't Underestimate Your Risk for Heart Disease. Free Online Test Now
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.