A new independent poll shows that, among Ohio voters, Hillary Clinton would easily defeat some of the best-known potential Republican presidential contenders – except for Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
The Quinnipiac University poll showed a virtual dead heat between the Democratic front-runner and Kasich among registered Ohio voters – 44 percent for Clinton and 43 percent for Kasich.
Clinton holds double-digit leads over four other possible GOP contenders – 47 percent to 36 percent against former Florida governor Jeb Bush, 47 percent to 34 percent against New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, 48 percent to 36 percent against U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and 49 percent to 34 percent against former Arkansas governor and talk show host Mike Huckabee.
Kasich, re-elected to a second term as governor in a landslide last fall, is not a declared candidate for the 2016 GOP nomination, but speculation runs rampant in political circles that he will jump into the race.
Quinnipiac University’s polling institute, which tracks voters in key battleground states, polled voters in two other presidential election swing states – Pennsylvania and Florida.
Clinton easily bested the other candidates in Pennsylvania and Florida. The only exception was a head-to-head match-up with Bush in Florida, where Clinton had 44 percent to Bush’s 43 percent.
Kasich was not included in the Pennsylvania and Florida polls.
Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll, said the poll results explain why Clinton has followed “a slower, less aggressive schedule” in preparing for a 2016 run for the presidency.
“She holds double-digit leads over all her potential GOP opponents in the three biggest swing states, except for two native sons, former Florida governor Jeb Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich,’’ Brown said in a release that accompanied the poll numbers. “And she is under little pressure from within her own party to hit the campaign trail.”
In the Clinton-Kasich match-up, women support Clinton 49 percent to 38 percent, while men back Kasich 48 percent to 39 percent.
“Ohio Gov. John Kasich is in a statistical dead heat with Mrs. Clinton among the home folks, who re-elected him by roughly 2-1 last November,’’ Brown said.
Kasich’s big re-election win was due to him “cutting into the traditional Democratic edge in a number of areas – women, blue-collar workers and taking a big share of the independent vote,’’ Brown said.
The poll was conducted Sunday among 943 self-identified registered voters in Ohio. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
