The majority of Democratic respondents in a recent poll want former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to run for president in the next election.
Eighty-two percent of Democrats polled between Feb. 19 and 23 “would like to see” Clinton campaign for president in 2016, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll published on Wednesday. Vice President Joe Biden followed with 42% — about half the number supporting Clinton.
Interviewers also asked Democrats about Govs. Andrew Cuomo of New York and Martin O’Malley of Maryland, as well as Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. None received more than 25% support.
Biden recently joked about not having an apparent reason not to run for president — besides his Corvette. O’Malley also admitted during a recent interview to preparing a presidential bid.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush led the GOP with 41% of Republican respondents in favor of him campaigning for the executive office. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul followed with 39%, and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio with 32%. Interviewers also surveyed Republicans on their favorability toward Texas Sen. Ted Cruz (24%) and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (31%), once thought to be the GOP front-runner.
Clinton and Christie were nearly tied at the end of last year, before the “Bridgegate” traffic scandal took hold in Christie’s state. The former first lady has surged ahead in recent surveys, including last week’s Quinnipiac University poll, where she swept the projected 2016 GOP field. She also led Biden, Warren and other Democrats by six-to-one in a theoretical upcoming primary election last month. The hypothetical Republican race, meanwhile, was divided with no clear leader. Sen. Paul earlier this month urged Democrats to return campaign money raised by former President Bill Clinton to protest his past affair with Monica Lewinsky. Democrats viewed his comments as a way to harm Hillary Clinton’s front-running position. The Times/CBS News poll was conducted with 1,644 Republicans, Democrats, and independents.
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