(CNN) - It was a crucial swing state that Barack Obama carried in both of his presidential election victories, but a new poll suggests that if Hillary Clinton's the Democratic nominee in 2016, she may have a challenge winning Colorado.
And a Quinnipiac University survey released Thursday also indicates that the George Washington Bridge controversy has hurt New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's standing with voters in the Centennial State.
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According to the poll, the former Secretary of State's at 43% and Christie at 42% among registered voters in Colorado, in a hypothetical 2016 general election matchup in the race for the state's nine electoral votes.
The Garden State Governor held a 46%-38% lead over Clinton in Quinnipiac's November survey, soon after Christie's landslide re-election and before the bridge controversy landed in the national headlines. And the percentage of Coloradans who say Christie would make a good president dropped from 48% in November to 36% now.
In other potential 2016 showdowns with other possible GOP White House contenders, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the 2012 GOP vice presidential nominee, holds a 48%-43% margin over Clinton, while Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky edges out Clinton 47%-43%. In another hypothetical matchup, Clinton's at 44% and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas stands at 43%.
"Coloradans love affair with New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie takes an icy February turn while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton seems frozen in place, in the run-up to the 2016 presidential race," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
Competitive 2014 Senate race
Colorado Sen. Mark Udall, who could face a challenging re-election this year, has a 45%-41% approval/disapproval rating in the poll, with Colorado voters split at 42% on whether he deserves re-election. The first term Democratic Senator holds single digit advantages over five possible GOP challengers in hypothetical November 2014 matchups.
The Quinnipiac University poll was conducted Jan. 29 – Feb. 2, with 1,139 Colorado voters questioned by telephone. The survey's overall sampling error is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.