Iowa poll: Who wins a Clinton-Christie 2016 showdown?
(CNN) - Hillary Clinton and Chris Christie are dead even in the key battleground state of Iowa in a hypothetical 2016 presidential showdown, according to a new poll.
A Quinnipiac University survey of Iowa voters also indicates that President Barack Obama's approval rating among Iowa voters has edged down since May. And according to the poll, which was released Monday morning, Hawkeye State voters are divided on the recent Supreme Court rulings on same-sex marriage.
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In a possible 2016 White House matchup, 41% of Iowa voters say they would back Clinton, the former secretary of state, 2008 presidential candidate, U.S. senator, and first lady, if she were the Democratic nominee, with an equal amount saying they would back New Jersey Gov. Christie if he were the GOP nominee. In a hypothetical general election showdown with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Clinton has a 46%-39% edge.
Christie's on top 49%-32% when matched up against Vice President Joe Biden, with Walker edging Biden 42%-39%, in possible showdowns.
According to the poll, Clinton has a 52%-41% favorable/unfavorable rating with Iowa voters. Christie stands at 42%-16%, with the vice president at 38%-47% and nearly two-thirds saying they don't know enough about the Wisconsin governor to form an opinion.
"Christie's favorability ratio of almost 3-1 is impressive. The question is whether he can sustain it as he becomes better known," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. "If so, he could be a strong contender in 2016."
Clinton, Biden, Christie and Walker are all considered possible 2016 White House contenders.
Besides being the first state to vote in the presidential caucus and primary calendar, Iowa is also a crucial battleground state in the general election.
As for the current president, Obama's approval rating stands at 41%, with 55% of Iowa voters saying they disapprove of the job he's doing in office. The 41% approval rating is down four percentage points from a May Quinnipiac poll, with the president's disapproval rating up five points.
On the issue of same-sex marriage, the poll indicates that 47% of Iowa voters support the rulings last month by the Supreme Court, with 44% opposed. The high court struck down part of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which denied hundreds of federal benefits to same-sex couples. But the justices declined to make a sweeping statement on the broader issue of same-sex marriage rights nationwide, rejecting California's same-sex marriage ban but leaving in place laws banning such marriages in 35 other states.
By a 55%-36% percent margin, Iowans oppose amending the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage. Iowans said by 57%-31% percent that such a ban would be struck down by the courts.
Same sex marriage became legal in Iowa following a 2009 decision by the state supreme court. Three state supreme court justices who ruled in favor of same-sex marriage were voted out of office in the 2010 elections. A state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage has been proposed several times in the legislature.
The Quinnipiac University poll was conducted July 15-17, with 1,256 registered voters in Iowa questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.
- CNN Political Editor Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Clinton Christie showdown? What makes you think that Christie will get the nomination? He's too moderate in conservative eyes and he pals around with the President. That's a big no-no in republican politics today.
@Dutch,
You're so funny. So let's say hypothetically that there was a dem candidate and he/she "palled around" with George Bush and was moderate. How do you think that would go over with the likes of you, Rudy, rs, Sniffit and Dominican? You would skewer that candidate.
ted will cruz into the white house
from the article:
But the justices declined to make a sweeping statement on the broader issue of same-sex marriage rights nationwide, rejecting California's same-sex marriage ban but leaving in place laws banning such marriages in 35 other states.
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That is an extremely misleading statement. Only California's Prop. 8 was before the court, not the laws in other states. The court would probably have been overstepping its' authority had it struck down laws that were not being argued before the court.
Why don't the News Media wait until they decide if they are running in 2016. Jeeeeeeezzzzzzze
My wish is that if Clinton does win the nomination that she faces off someone who doesn't really have a clue about the real workings of the internation finacial and political markets. That would be Rand Paul who doesn't really have a clue. He has his ideals and ideology but not much more than that because he can't see beyond it.
tom l.
@Dutch,
You're so funny. So let's say hypothetically that there was a dem candidate and he/she "palled around" with George Bush and was moderate. How do you think that would go over with the likes of you, Rudy, rs, Sniffit and Dominican? You would skewer that candidate.
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Well Tom, I can't think of any democrat that holds hands and sings kumba-ya with George W. Bush. lol. However if there was, I'm certain that person will be castigated.
A group calling themselves "STOP HILLARY" is going all out to stop Hillary, and now look ... there is a poll out "proving" STOP HILLARY is working.
Where have we heard this story line before?
gord
ted will cruz into the white house
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I think you meant to say that "Ted Cruz will win the White House." That's laughable. No one will vote for Joe McCarthy on steroids. Not to mention, Felipe "Ted" Cruz has that whole being born in Canada thing to deal with.
The NJ governor is NOT a friend of women's rights and he did what he had to for his state after a hurricane.
Deep down inside he is a bully and a rethug. Plain and simple. We don't need his in the face of world leaders making trouble.
Hillary 2016
What is point of a poll when neither person has announced their candidacy?
Waste of time speculating on such a match up. Gov Christie can't pass the Tea Party purity test. He has already been labeled as a RINO.
Dutch wrote:
Well Tom, I can't think of any democrat that holds hands and sings kumba-ya with George W. Bush. lol. However if there was, I'm certain that person will be castigated.
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I would doubt that would be the case. It would likely draw criticism from some quarters, but you would not see the same type of indignant reaction that you would see on the right. After all, Bush has kept his mouth pretty much shut and stayed out of the political discourse.
Christy is NOT a moderate! They are just saying that because he worked with the President during the Sandy disaster. What was he supposed to do, that was his state! He supports far right wing policies. Don't be fooled.
Please let it be Biden... PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE let it be Biden...
"How do you think that would go over with the likes of you, Rudy, rs, Sniffit and Dominican?"
I can attest that I've had absolutely no problem with Obama's cordial relationship with Dubya. Continuous attempts to try to turn everything around for a "hypocrisy gotcha" on almost every issue is pretty lame. Credit where it's due, and there were a few things Dubya did that were laudable, particularly his aid to Africa, and I would have no problem with "my" candidate giving credit where it's due. That's all Christie did, but there's no denying he has gotten and will get roasted by the far-right Teatroll zealots for it.
Ha – great, too bad Christie cannot win the GOP primary.
when the truth comes out about benghazi and obamacare collapses in a wreck, the country won't elect clinton, even if she is a woman. the country is souring on the leftists and their out of control government.