Clinton beats Christie in NJ for 2016

A new poll shows that Hillary Clinton would handily defeat Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) in a presidential election in his home state.

Clinton would defeat the New Jersey governor 58 to 35 percent in a hypothetical presidential general election match-up, according to a new poll from Rutgers University’s Eagleton Institute of Politics. The former secretary of State holds a 59 percent favorability rating in the blue-leaning state.

Last week, the same polling group found that only 37 percent of New Jersey voters have a favorable view of their governor.

Clinton fares even better against former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Gov. Scott Walker (Wis.). She would defeat Bush by a 58 to 32 percent margin, and Walker by a margin of 60 to 29 percent.

“During Hillary Clinton’s first campaign for president, there was a great deal of talk about how voters would respond to her gender,” David Redlawsk, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers, said in a statement along with the poll.

“In January 2008, a CNN poll found Americans more ‘ready’ for a black president than a woman. Fast forward seven years and New Jerseyans, at least, have little doubt that the country is now ready for a woman president.” 

The poll surveyed 813 New Jersey residents, the majority registered voters. The poll has a margin of error of 4 percent.