Hillary Clinton leading field of potential 2016 presidential candidates, poll says

WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) – A new poll indicates former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is the front-runner for the 2016 presidential race.

Clinton leads the Democratic primary with 58 percent, followed by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts with 11 percent, Vice President Joseph Biden with nine percent and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo with four percent, according to a Quinnipiac University National Poll released July 8.

There is no front-runner in the Republican presidential primary field, with U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky leading the pack with 11 percent. New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush have 10 percent each. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin have eight percent each, the poll shows.

“Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton takes a ton of heat on wealth, book sales and her legacy at the State Department, but she emerges with no serious Democratic challenger, while the Republican field remains clustered and flustered,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

In the 2016 presidential race, American voters back Hillary Clinton over leading Republican contenders: 47-38 percent over Christie; 49-40 percent over Paul; 49-40 percent over Huckabee; 48-41 percent over Bush; and 48-41 percent over Ryan.

As far as the 2014 Congressional races go, 46 percent of American voters want Republicans to win control of the U.S. Senate while 44 percent want Democratic control. The same too-close-to-call 46-44 percent margin applies to control of the House of Representatives, the poll states.

“Americans are split on whether they want Republican or Democratic wins in the midterms, but on one thing they are in complete agreement – Congress as a whole is doing a lousy job,” Malloy said.

From June 24-30, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,446 registered voters nationwide.

Reach David Yates at elections@legalnewsline.com