Hillary Clinton leads GOP by double digits in Iowa: Poll
It's too early to make much of the numbers, but Democrats are looking for good news
The 2016 Iowa caucuses are still more than 22 months away. But according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday, Hillary Clinton leads among all possible presidential candidates by double digits.
In potential presidential matchups, the former secretary of state and first lady would defeat Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (49 percent to 39 percent), former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (51 percent to 37 percent) and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (51 percent to 35 percent), the poll found.
Nearly half (48 percent) of Iowa voters said they would favor Clinton over scandal-plagued New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (35 percent) in a theoretical general election. In December, the same poll had Christie (45 percent) leading Clinton (40 percent).
Clinton is also the only candidate who a majority of Iowans (55 percent) believe would make a good president.
Her apparent cushion in Iowa is some rare good news for Democrats reeling from President Barack Obama's dismal approval rating.
The poll found that most Iowans, like the rest of the country, disapprove of the job the president is doing. Obama's approval rating in Iowa (39 percent) is in line with his national approval rating (41 percent).
According to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Wednesday, 33 percent of Americans say their vote in the upcoming midterm elections "will be to signal opposition to the president rather than to signal support."
And nearly half (48 percent) of voters polled say they will be less likely to vote for a candidate who supports the administration, while about a quarter (26 percent) say they will be more likely to vote for a pro-Obama candidate.
Related video:
