Former Florida governor Jeb Bush’s case that he would be the strongest Republican candidate against Hillary Clinton received a boost Monday, as a new poll shows him with a narrow lead over the Democratic frontrunner in the key swing state of Virginia.
Bush, who has not yet declared his candidacy, leads Clinton 48%-46% in a hypothetical matchup, a survey from the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University finds. All other GOP contenders trail the former secretary of State narrowly.
“In the face of a barrage of attacks from her real and
potential Republican challengers, Hillary Clinton’s once formidable
position has weakened,” Tom Kramer, assistant director of the Wason
Center, said in a statement. In a previous Wason Center poll taken in
February, Clinton led Bush by five points.
Virginia has become a pivotal battleground state in recent years, as
President Obama prevailed in 2008, then again in his 2012 re-election
bid, to become the first Democrat to carry the state since President
Lyndon Johnson in 1964.Clinton will undoubtedly hope to continue the Democratic streak there in 2016 should she win the Democratic nomination, as one of her most prominent supporters is Gov. Terry McAuliffe. McAuliffe is a long-time friend of the Clintons and chaired Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign.
The poll shows that, much like the rest of the country, Virginia Republicans have not yet coalesced around a candidate. Bush (17%) and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (16%) lead among Republicans and GOP-leaning independents. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker all poll behind Bush and Rubio, with each receiving 10%.
And just how strong is Clinton’s position in the Democratic race? She’s the preferred candidate of 80% of respondents, who only give their former home-state senator Jim Webb, who’s considering a 2016 bid, 6% support.
The poll’s margin of error is +/- 4.6 percentage points.
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