Poll: Public split on benefit of family ties for Jeb, Hillary

Jeb Bush’s (R) family connections could hurt him in the 2016 presidential contest while Hillary Clinton’s (D) would help her if she runs, a new poll finds.

Thirty-four percent of registered voters said in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll that the fact that Bush’s brother and father served in the White House would make them less likely to vote for the former Florida governor. Fifty-seven percent said it made no difference.

The former secretary of State, on the other hand, would benefit from her husband’s time in the White House. Twenty-four percent of registered voters said that it makes them more likely to vote for her, while 16 percent said it makes it less likely. Fifty-nine percent said that it makes no difference.

{mosads}In a potential head-to-head matchup between the two, Clinton bests Bush with 54 percent support to his 41 percent.

The poll also found that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s (R) 2012 presidential campaign could make him a less attractive candidate in 2016.

Twenty-six percent of registered voters said that the fact that Romney was a presidential nominee in 2012 would make them less likely to vote for him. Twelve percent said it made them more likely to vote for him, and 61 percent said it made no difference.

Registered voters supported Clinton over Romney at a rate of 55 percent to 40 percent.

Clinton also bested former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in hypothetical races in the poll.

The poll found that Clinton is buoyed by the strong support she has with the Democratic base and her backing from voters who believe their economic situation has improved or stayed the same. She also has a significant lead among female voters.

The poll had a sample of 1,003 adults, 843 of them registered voters. It had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.5 points for the full sample and 4 points for the registered voters and was conducted from Jan. 12-15.