Rand Paul, Scott Walker tied atop 2016 Republican field in New Hampshire

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker are tied atop a crowded 2016 GOP primary field in the early state of New Hampshire, with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush slipping into a tie for third with Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who picked up some support since a separate poll was released in February.

Mr. Paul and Mr. Walker were the first choice of 12 percent of GOP primary voters, followed by Mr. Bush and Mr. Rubio at 11 percent apiece and businessman Donald Trump at 8 percent, according to the Bloomberg Politics/Saint Anselm poll.

Next were New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at 7 percent, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas at 6 percent, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 5 percent, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee at 4 percent and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina at 3 percent.

Mr. Cruz, Mr. Paul, Mr. Rubio, Ms. Fiorina, Mr. Carson and Mr. Huckabee have formally entered the presidential race, but others are expected to jump in as well.

Mr. Bush had been in first in a Bloomberg/Saint Anselm poll released in February at 16 percent, with Mr. Paul at 13 percent and Mr. Walker at 12 percent. Mr. Christie was next at 10 percent, followed by Mr. Carson and Mr. Huckabee at 6 percent apiece, Mr. Rubio at 5 percent, and Mr. Cruz, Mr. Trump, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal at 3 percent apiece.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is retaining a solid hold on the Democratic side of things with 62 percent of the vote. Her next closest competitor, Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, was at 18 percent.

But she’s locked in tight head-to-head match-ups with several of the Republican contenders, leading Mr. Bush and Mr. Rubio by 2-point, 44 percent to 42 percent margins and leading Mr. Paul by a 3-point, 46 percent to 43 percent margin.

She leads Mr. Walker by 6 points, 46 percent to 40 percent.

The survey, conducted May 2-6, included 500 general election voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points. It included an oversample of 400 Republican primary voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points and an oversample of 400 Democratic primary voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.