Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's lead against potential Republican presidential candidates is shrinking in key swing states just days after Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul declared his candidacy for the 2016 race, a new poll has found.
According to a
Quinnipiac University Poll, conducted March 29-April 7 of roughly 900 voters in each state, in Colorado and Iowa Paul has a small lead. Specifically, the poll found that:
- In Colorado, Paul would get 44 percent compared to 41 percent for Clinton.
- In Iowa, Paul would win 43 percent compared to 42 percent for Clinton.
In Virginia, Clinton has a lead of 47 percent support compared to 43 percent for Paul.
"These numbers are a boost for U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky as he formally launches his campaign," Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll said in a statement.
The poll also found that every Republican candidate ties her in Colorado and almost all do so in Iowa, while her favorability rating has dropped significantly in those states since a poll in February:
- In Colorado, Clinton has 41 percent support compared to 38 percent support for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. In Iowa, she has 41 percent support compared to 40 percent for Bush.
- In Colorado, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has 41 percent support compared to 40 percent for Clinton. He has 40 percent in Iowa compared to Clinton's 43 percent
- In Colorado, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Clinton are tied at 41 percent, while in Iowa, they are tied at 42 percent.
- In Colorado, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker gets 42 percent compared to 41 percent for Clinton. Clinton has a slight lead in Iowa with 44 percent compared to 40 percent for Walker.
- In Colorado, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has 41 percent support compared to 42 percent for Clinton. In Iowa she gets 43 percent compared to 40 percent for Cruz.
- In both Colorado and Iowa, Clinton has 41 percent support against New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie who gets 39 percent.
"Ominous for Hillary Clinton is the broad scope of the movement today compared to her showing in Quinnipiac University's mid-February survey. It isn't just one or two Republicans who are stepping up; it's virtually the entire GOP field that is running better against her," Brown said.
"That's why it is difficult to see Secretary Clinton's slippage as anything other than a further toll on her image from the furor over her email," he said.
In Virginia, Clinton manages to maintain a modest lead over Republican candidates:
- Clinton beats Christie at 46 percent compared to 40 percent.
- Clinton has 48 percent support over Huckabee, who has 40 percent support.
- In a matchup with Walker, Clinton gets 47 percent compared to 40 percent.
- Clinton has 48 percent support in a match-up with Rubio, who has 40 percent.
- In a matchup with Cruz, Clinton has 49 percent support compared to 39 percent for Cruz.
"Of the three states tested, Virginia seems to be the friendliest toward Hillary Clinton, perhaps a continuing reflection of the Old Dominion's leftward drift over the past decade. Only yesterday, it seemed, it was deeply red," Brown said.