Quinnipiac University released another set of polling today and it continues to show that the 2016 Republican field is wide open and Hillary Clinton has a wide lead.
The poll for the Republican side has Jeb Bush (FL), Dr. Ben Carson, Senator Marco Rubio (FL), Mike Huckabee (AR), and Governor Scott Walker (WI) at ten percent each. They are also the only candidates to rate in the double digits. After them, Senator Rand Paul (KY) garners seven percent and Senator Ted Cruz, six percent. Donald Trump and Governor Chris Christine (NJ) then have five and four percent respectively. Carly Fiorina and Governor John Kasich (OH) both have two percent support. They are the top ten contenders in the poll which is the magic number as Fox News’s debate gets increasingly closer. Fox News has put the cap at the top ten placers in polling and this poll would help allow Fiorina to get into the debate. Fiorina typically polls around one percent nationally, so this is a rise for her.
Rick Perry (TX) and Senator Lindsey Graham (SC) both had one percent each, in addition. Neither Rick Santorum (PA), who announced his presidential bid yesterday, nor George Pataki (NY), who announced his bid this morning, rated on the poll.
Quinnipiac also asked what candidate would voters not support. On the Republican side, Donald Trump took the lead with twenty-one percent. Trump has flirted with running for President in the past, but has ended up not doing it. However, this time Trump has hired advisors and started an exploratory committee.
While the Republican field has two candidates at one percent, the Democratic side only has three candidates who register higher than one percent. Hillary Clinton remains having a very large lead over her competitors, albeit a smaller one. In this poll, she commands fifty-seven of Democratic voters around the country. Surging into second place is Senator Bernie Sanders who held his formal campaign announcement this week. A Politico article from today says that the Clinton campaign fears the Sanders candidacy as he will attack her from the left and they fear that he could cause left-wing activists to turn away from her. Sanders has fifteen percent in the poll and he is the only candidate besides Clinton to register double-digit support in each category Quinnipiac broke the poll into. In third place is Vice President Joe Biden, who has yet to announce his 2016 plans or intentions. He has nine percent of the vote. Lincoln Chafee, Martin O’Malley, and Jim Webb all have one percent support. The wouldn’t vote category ranks higher than those three candidates with two percent.
The Quinnipiac poll only contained the above six names. Previous polls have included people like Senator Elizabeth Warren (MA) and/or Governor Andrew Cuomo (NY).
On the Democratic side, Biden and Clinton tie for the candidate voters would not support. However, they tie with nine percent of the vote each.