http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=7A562572-AFF0-4969-B71E-28A364DC9722 Va. poll: Hillary Clinton sweeps GOP field
By: Tal Kopan
March 27, 2014 06:36 AM EDT
Hillary Clinton has the edge over potential 2016 Republican challengers in swing state Virginia, according to a new poll on Thursday.
Clinton would beat New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie 45 percent to 41 percent, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush 47 percent to 39 percent, ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee 49 percent to 41 percent and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul 48 percent to 42 percent, according to the Quinnipiac poll.
But the pollsters at Quinnipiac note that the race remains open.
“Secretary Hillary Clinton’s lead over New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie, top-seeded among Republicans, is only four points, smaller than in other recent Quinnipiac University surveys. Whether that means the ‘bridgegate’ impact on Gov. Christie is fading in the rear-view mirror, only time will tell,” said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.
Virginia voters have an overall favorable view of the former first lady, 52 percent to 44 percent, the highest favorability of any of the possible entrants into the race and higher than that of President Barack Obama.
In more good news for Democrats in the purple state, the poll also showed Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) with a strong lead over his Republican challenger, Ed Gillespie, ahead 46 percent to 31 percent.
Quinnipiac surveyed 1,288 Virginia voters from March 19 to 24 for the poll, which has an error margin of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points.
