Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the latest Republican to jump into the 2016 presidential race, has surged to the front of the GOP pack and is also the best to beat former secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton, according to a new poll.
In a new Quinnipiac University national poll released Thursday, he tops former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush 15 percent to 13 percent. It is his first time in the driver’s seat and a rare setback for Bush.
More importantly to his party, he is also close to beating Clinton. In the new poll, Clinton would edge Rubio 45 percent to 43 percent.
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“The youngest member of the GOP presidential posse moves to the front of the pack to challenge Hillary Clinton whose position in her own party appears rock solid,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, in a statement.
“This is the kind of survey that shoots adrenalin into a campaign. Marco Rubio gets strong enough numbers and favorability ratings to look like a legit threat to Hillary Clinton,” he added.
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Below is how Republicans see the race:
Sen. Marco Rubio: 15%
Jeb Bush: 13%
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker: 11%
Sen. Ted Cruz: 9%
Sen. Rand Paul: 8%
Mike Huckabee: 7%
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie: 7%
Texas Gov. Rick Perry: 3%
Ben Carson: 3%
Rick Santorum: 2%
Ohio Gov. John Kasich: 2%
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal: 1%
In a general election matchup, Quinnipiac said Clinton gets 45 percent of American voters to 43 percent for Rubio. She leads other top Republicans:
— 45 – 40 percent over Christie.
— 46 – 42 percent over Paul.
— 47 – 42 percent over Huckabee.
— 46 – 39 percent over Bush.
— 46 – 41 percent over Walker.
— 48 – 41 percent over Cruz.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
