The early race for the GOP presidential nomination is turning into a fight between New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, according to a new national poll.
The survey from the Saint Leo University Polling Institute also shows that Hillary Clinton dominates the Democratic field so much that party voters choose “don’t know/not sure” over Vice President Joe Biden.
The Florida-based institute said that Republicans picked Christie as their first choice to be the nominee. Bush was their second choice.
Addressing only Republican voters, the institute asked: “If the Republican primary for president were held today, which one of the following would you support for the Republican nomination?”
• Christie — 15 percent
• Bush — 13 percent
• Florida Sen. March Rubio — 8 percent
• Texas Sen. Ted Cruz — 7 percent
• Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan — 7 percent
• Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul — 7 percent
A following question read, “And who would be your second choice?”
• Bush — 12 percent
• Rubio — 9 percent
• Ryan — 8 percent
• Christie — 8 percent
• Cruz — 8 percent
• Paul — 8 percent
Among Democrats, 70 percent chose Clinton, followed by “don’t know” at 9 percent, Biden at 8 percent and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren at 4 percent.
Clinton also beats all Republicans in head-to-head matchups.
“Chris Christie has edged ahead of Jeb Bush in our nationwide polling, showing that the negative publicity that he absorbed due to ‘Bridgegate’ has largely subsided,” said Frank Orlando, an instructor of political science at Saint Leo University. “Should Bush run, he can count on a broad base of support, with a quarter of voters supporting him as their first or second choice. If Bush decides not to run, the greatest beneficiary would seem to be Marco Rubio, not just in Florida, but nationally as well,” added Orlando.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
