2016 poll: Christie tops likely GOP rivals

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie could be the Republican front-runner for 2016, should he choose to run, according to a CNN poll released Friday.

{mosads}Almost a quarter of respondents who identified themselves as Republican or independents who lean to the right said they would vote for Christie — up from 17 percent in September. 

The CNN/ORC International survey is a follow-up to one conducted in September. Since that poll, Christie’s presidential favorability among Americans has grown by 8 percentage points, from 17 percent to 24 percent.

The Republican field includes many other players receiving at least 10 percent support: Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

Meanwhile, Christie has dodged questions about whether he would leave the governor’s chair to run in 2016.

“I’m going to continue to do my job and finish the job, but everybody’s trying to figure out what life is going to bring you a few years from now,” he told George Stephanopoulos earlier this month. “I didn’t expect to be sitting here four years ago, George. So nobody can make those predictions.”

Democrats, or independents who lean to the left, overwhelmingly say they would choose Hillary Clinton as their ideal 2016 presidential candidate, with 63 percent of respondents lining up behind her. Clinton’s popularity with Democrats has largely remained the same over the fall.