Poll: Christie Slightly Ahead of Clinton for White House in 2016

In yet another survey looking at potential contests for the White House in 2016, a survey released on Thursday placed Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie slightly ahead of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton if the election to succeed President Barack Obama were held today.

But the CNN/ORC International survey showed that Democrat Clinton would best eight other possible Republican hopefuls in hypothetical general election contests, including Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the 2012 vice presidential candidate, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Forty-eight percent of the 950 registered voters surveyed Dec. 16-19 by CNN/ORC International responded that they would back Christie if he were the Republican nominee, versus 46 percent for Clinton.

Christie's 2-point margin is within the survey's sampling error, CNN reports.

The CNN/ORC International poll is the third this month showing that Christie would beat Clinton by small margins in a 2016 presidential matchup.

Last week, surveys by Public Policy Polling and Quinnipiac University showed Christie defeating the former first lady by three to five points.

In the latest poll, Clinton would also beat such rumored GOP 2016 hopefuls as Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, by 8 points; Paul by 13 points; and Bush by 21 points.

Clinton also would defeat former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a 2008 GOP presidential candidate, by 15 points; Texas Gov. Rick Perry by 17 points; Sen. Ted Cruz, also of Texas, by 18 points; and both Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, a 2012 GOP presidential candidate, by 19 points each.

Earlier this month, Clinton told Barbara Walters that she had not yet decided whether to run for the White House in 2016.

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