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Poll: Rubio leads GOP pack for 2016
Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.) is the early frontrunner for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, according to a new national poll, with Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.) viewed most favorably by GOP voters.
Rubio was the choice of 18 percent of Republican primary voters in a survey from Democratic pollster Public Policy Polling, released Thursday.
The freshman senator posted a 4-point lead over New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who held 14 percent support.
Rubio's lead can be attributed to his popularity among strong conservatives, among the most likely to vote in a presidential primary. According to the poll, the Florida lawmaker pulls 23 percent of those who identify as "very conservative," besting Ryan's 17 percent and Huckabee's 13 percent.
Christie, who has weathered intense criticism within the GOP for his embrace of President Obama after Hurricane Sandy, would be the choice of centrist voters in the Republican electorate. Christie is the choice for 35 percent of self-described moderates, versus 20 percent for Bush and 11 percent for Huckabee.
Still, the long odds Christie may now face for the nomination are underscored in a separate survey question, which asked GOP voters if they have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of each of the potential candidates. Christie's net 21-point positive favorability was dead last among Republican candidates, dwarfed by Ryan's 74-15 percent favorability rating. Huckabee, Rice, and Rubio also posted net favorability ratings of more than 50 percentage points.
For Democrats, Hillary Clinton remains the dominant favorite if she decides to mount a presidential run in 2016.
Clinton is the choice for more than six in 10 Democratic voters, vastly outpacing Vice President Biden, who is the choice of just 12 percent of those surveyed. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo pulls 5 percent of the electorate, Sen.-elect Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts earns 4 percent, and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley is the choice for 2 percent of voters. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, Montana Gov. Brain Schweitzer and Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia each only earn 1 percent support from those surveyed.
If neither Clinton nor Biden runs, the race for the Democratic nomination seems wide open. Only Cuomo and Warren are known by more than half of Democratic voters, and 45 percent say they don't know who they would choose if the top two candidates elected against running.
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