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Biden Fares Better Than Clinton in Hypothetical General Election Match-Ups

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Vice President Joe Biden has emerged as a strong contender in hypothetical general election match-ups against top GOP candidates, according to a new national survey by Quinnipiac University. The poll, released on Thursday, indicates that Biden fares better than Hillary Clinton against several Republican contenders, including Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, and Ben Carson. Biden's high favorability rating among voters may encourage him to consider a 2016 presidential bid.

Key Takeaways:

  • Biden tops Trump 48% to 40% in a hypothetical general election match-up, compared to Clinton, who beats Trump 45% to 41%.
  • Biden also beats Bush, 45% to 39%, compared to Clinton, who beats Bush 42% to 40%.
  • Biden has the highest favorability rating among any 2016 candidates polled, with 45% of registered voters holding a favorable view.
  • Trump leads the GOP field with 28% support from registered Republican voters, followed by Ben Carson with 12%, and Jeb Bush with 7%.
  • Sens. Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Scott Walker trail behind with 7%, 6%, and 5% support, respectively.
  • About 1-in-4 GOP voters say they would never vote for Trump, with 24% stating this sentiment.
  • Clinton leads the Democratic race at 45% support from registered Democrats, followed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders at 22% and Biden at 18%.

Statistics:

  • 1,563 registered voters were surveyed nationwide with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
  • 666 Republicans were surveyed with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
  • 647 Democrats were surveyed with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.
  • Biden's advantage over Trump in a general election match-up is within the margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

Sources:

  • Quinnipiac University poll, released on Thursday.
  • "Biden fares better than Clinton in hypothetical matchups, new poll finds," CNN, by Theodore Schleifer (no date provided).
  • Quinnipiac University website (no date provided).

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