A new poll released Thursday shows New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s popularity among Republicans is low in Iowa and New Hampshire, two key states for the presidential election.
About a third of Republicans in both states have a negative view of Mr. Christie, according to the NBC News/Marist poll. About 13 percent of those polled in New Hampshire said they would support Mr. Christie if the GOP primary were held now, while just 8 percent felt that way in Iowa.
Hillary Rodham Clinton was overwhelmingly selected as the Democratic nominee in early polls in both states, beating Vice President Joseph R. Biden by 56 points in New Hampshire and 50 points in Iowa.
Margins are much slimmer when the former secretary of state is pitted against a GOP candidate. Mrs. Clinton leads Mr. Christie by just one point in Iowa and is tied with Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, with 45 percent of voters saying they’d vote for each candidate and 10 percent undecided. Mr. Paul is also Mrs. Clinton’s greatest threat in New Hampshire, trailing her by just three points.
The majority of those polled said they are still undecided on which candidate to support, especially in the GOP primary, suggesting these numbers could change greatly over the two years until votes are cast.
• Jacqueline Klimas can be reached at jklimas@washingtontimes.com.
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