Story highlights
Mitt Romney tops the field of Republican presidential field with 19% in new national poll
Jeb Bush came in a close second with 11% of support in the poll
On the Democratic side, Clinton has a massive advantage with 57% of support
Warren comes in a distant second with 13% of respondents picking her
Mitt Romney has said he has no plans to run for president a third time – but that isn’t stopping voters from wanting him to hit the campaign trail again.
Romney pulled the most support from Republican voters with 19% picking him over a fray of politicians floated for the 2016 nomination, according to a Quinnipiac University poll of Americans released Wednesday. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush came in second as 11% of voters said they would pick him as the Republican nominee if the primary were held today.
The poll offers an early look at what is expected to be a packed Republican primary battle as the GOP looks to take back the White House after eight years locked out of the nation’s top post.
No Republican has officially announced a 2016 White House run, so far.
While Romney nabbed the top spot among 707 Republicans surveyed following several months of stumping for candidates on the midterm campaign trail, he and his family have said it’s unlikely he’ll pursue a bid – though he hasn’t shut the door on a potential run altogether.
Bush is mulling a presidential bid and his brother, former President George W. Bush said he thinks the odds his brother will run are about “50-50.” Another Florida politician, Sen. Marco Rubio, who snagged just 2% of support in the poll, has said he is also weighing a presidential campaign and is expected to make a decision this winter.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and conservative activist and neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson tied for third in the poll, gaining a nod from 8% of Republican voters.
Christie has widely been viewed as a top-tier contender for the nomination and was even floated as a potential candidate in 2012.
Carson has attracted a small but loyal following among the party’s conservative base, taking third place in the Conservative Political Action Conference straw poll this year – an informal measure of the GOP base’s enthusiasm for candidates. He recently left his post as a Fox News contributor as he weighs a bid.
The winner of that straw poll, Sen. Rand Paul, came in behind Christie and Carson with 6% of Republican voters throwing him their support. And Sen. Ted Cruz, a tea party favorite, got 5% in the poll.
While respondents were split among the 15 Republican names listed in the poll, Democratic voters’ preferred candidate is unquestionably former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton who pulls 57% of support in a field of six potential candidates after 610 Democrats were surveyed.
Liberal firebrand Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts came in a distant second with 13% of support while former Sen. Jim Webb, who became the first from either party to launch a presidential exploratory committee, pulled just 1%. Vice President Joe Biden nabbed the third spot with 9%.
Warren has excited the Democratic base and was a visible presence on the 2014 campaign trail, though she has said she doesn’t intend to run.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, a liberal independent from Vermont, has said he is considering a presidential bid and made several trips to Iowa, an early primary state, during the 2014 campaign. Sanders attracted 4% of support in the poll.