It’s early, but a new Public Policy Polling survey finds that Iowa voters prefer Kentucky senator Rand Paul in the crop of potential GOP candidates in the 2016 presidential race. Last month, a PPP poll found that Paul was the front-runner in New Hampshire as well.
According to the poll, Paul leads among Iowans with 18 percent support, but Chris Christie (16 percent) and Paul Ryan (15 percent) aren’t far behind. The survey also included potential candidates such as Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Bobby Jindal, and Marco Rubio; Rubio led PPP’s Iowa poll in February.
On the other side of the aisle, Hillary Clinton was the runaway favorite with 71 percent suppor, while Joe Biden trailed in second place with 12 percent.
When Clinton was pitted against potential Republican nominees, Christie and Ryan were the only candidates within single digits of the former secretary of state; she led Christie 43–36 and Ryan 49–40, with the remaining respondents “not sure.” Paul and Rubio trailed Clinton by eleven points (48–37) and twelve points (47–35), respectively.