Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is favored over New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in his home state when it comes to potential 2016 presidential candidates, according to a new
Quinnipiac University Poll.
According to a poll conducted between July 31 and Aug. 4 of 1,148 New Jersey voters, Clinton came out ahead of Christie by 50 percent to 42 percent.
The governor still fared better than other possible GOP candidates over Clinton, the poll showed, with the former senator and first lady holding double-digit leads over Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, by 54 percent to 34 percent; Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul, by 55 percent to 35 percent; and by 57 percent to 34 percent over former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
The poll had similar results to a
poll released last week from Ohio, where Quinnipiac found that Clinton was more popular than Ohio Gov. John Kasich in a hypothetical matchup.
Clinton, who has yet to decide if she'll take another shot at the White House in 2016 — beat out Kasich by a 47-40 percent choice among Ohio voters.
Attracting the female vote could be key for Christie in New Jersey, should he choose to seek the presidency. Women back Clinton by 54 percent to 38 percent. Male voters favor Christie just slightly, by 47 to 44 percent, the poll revealed.
Not unexpectedly, there is a large divide by political party when it comes to a Clinton-Christie fight. Clinton leads Christie by 85 percent to 10 percent among Democrats and 48 percent to 42 percent with independents, while Republicans picked Christie by 85 percent to 7 percent.
Clinton also came out ahead of Christie on favorability ratings, with 60 percent of the voters viewing her favorably and 38 percent unfavorability. Christie's ratings were split at 47-47 percent.
The favorability ratings were closely split when it came to Bush, whose ratings were at 32 percent favorable to 33 percent unfavorable; Paul, at 31 percent to 33 percent; and Huckabee, at 34 percent to 31 percent.
New Jersey's voters also did not believe Christie is presidential material. They said by 55 percent to 39 percent that he would not be a good president. Democrats, by 79 percent to 16 percent, said he would not make a good president, along with independents, by 55 percent to 39 percent. Republicans, though, said Christie would be good, by 72 percent to 23 percent.
And New Jersey voters are divided over whether he should run for president at all, with 46 percent saying he should and 49 percent saying he should not.
Meanwhile, Democratic freshman Sen. Cory Booker leads his Republican challenger, Jeff Bell, by 47 percent to 37 percent. Republicans give Bell the nod, by 84 percent to 9 percent, while Democrats favor him by 85 percent to 3 percent. Independent voters give Booker the nod by 42 percent to 34 percent.
Booker does get favorable ratings from New Jersey voters, by 47 percent to 27 percent. However, Bell had a problem with being recognized, as 77 percent of the voters said they do not know enough about him to form an opinion, including 68 percent of Republicans polled; 83 percent of Democrats and 77 percent of independent voters.
However, points out Maurice Carroll, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, Booker's lead is "still barely in double digits" even though "hardly anyone" knows Bell.
Meanwhile, the voters approve the job Booker is doing by 47 percent to 27 percent, and another 48 percent to 31 percent believe he deserves to serve a full six-year term as senator.
In other polling results, President Barack Obama got a negative rating of 44 percent to 55 percent in New Jersey, nearly matching his lowest rating recorded in October 2011 in the state.
That rating comes as his overall approval rating has plunged to an all-time low, with as 79 percent of respondents to a
Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll saying they are dissatisfied with him and the American political system.
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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