Poll: Christie, Clinton ‘hottest’ politicians

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) are the two most favorable, or “hottest,” politicians in a new national survey. 

Christie topped the list with a 53.1 rating on the survey’s “feeling thermometer” while Clinton scored a 52.1. 

Quinnipiac University Polling measured the public’s receptiveness to a number of political leaders using a scale from zero to 100 with the higher number representing “the warmer or more favorable” voters felt about a lawmaker. 

{mosads}Christie and Clinton are both seen as potential presidential candidates in 2016. Clinton scores high numbers with all voters and tops the list among Democrats (a 77.7 rating within her own party). 

However, Christie, ranks eighth among Republicans with a score of 59.8, behind a host of other potential GOP presidential contenders. The New Jersey governor leads among Independents.

Paul Ryan tops the list of Republicans with a 68.7 rating.

A Pew poll last week found Christie’s favorability rating trailing with the GOP as well. 

Two dark horses to score high on the list are freshman Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) who ranked third and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) who ranked fifth.

President Obama ranked fourth with a 47.6 score. Obama’s rating has dropped nearly 10 points since a similar survey was taken in March 2011. 

Unsurprisingly, the Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress bottomed out on the list, with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) coming in last (33.8). 

In other surveys, Congress’s approval rating hangs in the low double digits. 

The poll surveyed 1,468 national registered voters and has a margin of error of 2.6 percent.