In a poll of registered voters, CNN finds that NJ Governor Chris Christie beats Secretary Hillary Clinton 48-46 in a hypothetical 2016 match-up.
It’s still a year before 2016 campaigning begins in earnest but pollsters continue to ask who voters would line up with. Every poll asking this question has shown Clinton and Christie polling at the top of their respective sides, usually neck and neck. For instance, a Quinnipiac poll last month found Christie edging out Clinton 43-42.
Keating Holland, CNN’s polling director, says Christie’s strong showing is the result of winning 60 percent of independent voters and doing well with suburbanites. As for the geographical breakdown, Holland says “Christie doesn’t win in the Northeast, although he does hold Clinton to a
bare majority there, but he has a solid edge in the Midwest while
playing Clinton to a draw in the South and West.”
The same poll shows that other potential GOP nominees fared less well in a match-up with Clinton. Rep. Paul Ryan comes closest, down just 8 points. Sen. Rand Paul comes next, trailing Hillary by 13. Other potential candidates including Gov. Rick Perry, Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Ted Cruz fall behind Clinton by between 17 and 19 points.