Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is holding a narrow lead over a very crowded GOP presidential field, a new poll has found.
According to a
CNN/ORC International poll conducted April 16-19 of 1,018 adults, 17 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents support Bush for the nomination. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker comes in second with 12 percent, while Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio tie for third place with 11 percent.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has 9 percent support, followed by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at 7 percent. Former neurosurgeon Ben Carson and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have just 4 percent.
"The recent formal entries into the Republican race by Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, and Ted Cruz have stirred up the GOP field somewhat, but still, no clear leader has emerged," CNN said.
"Bush's edge is slight, and there are multiple contenders for the nomination who could overtake him with just a small increase in support at the same time that some previously strong contenders have faded."
The survey also found that Bush comes out on top on a number of key measures. He is most often named as the candidate with the right experience, with 27 percent of respondents saying so. And 26 percent of people say he has the best chance of beating the Democratic nominee in the general election, while 21 percent say he is the strongest leader in the wide field of possible contenders.
On one measure, however, Bush's dominance is challenged by Rubio: they tie at 18 percent for the support of those who say they best represent the future of the GOP.
"The poll suggests Rubio's campaign rollout has helped raise his profile in the party, boosting him into the top five in the overall race for the GOP nomination. But sustaining that momentum through the many campaign rollouts to come could be a challenge," CNN said.
Meanwhile, the poll also found that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton trumps all possible opponents. Among Democrats, 69 percent of those polled support Clinton. Vice President Joe Biden comes in a distant second with just 11 percent support.
Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders comes in third place behind Clinton with just 5 percent, while former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb comes in with 3 percent, and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley both have 1 percent.
Clinton also leads every candidate in the GOP field. Rubio has the smallest gap with Clinton, trailing by 14 points at 55 percent compared to 41 percent. Bush is behind Clinton by 17 points at 56 percent to 39 percent. Christie and Paul are 19 points behind Clinton.
"In general, Republicans see Bush as the best possible candidate to match up against the Democratic nominee in 2016, but in hypothetical general election matchups against Clinton, Bush trails by a large margin, as do each of the other seven Republicans tested," CNN said.