Jeb Bush Leads in New Hampshire Poll
Former Florida governor Jeb Bush has an early advantage in the key presidential primary state of New Hampshire, according to a new poll, but the race remains wide open a year before the election. The Saint Anselm College survey released Sunday found Bush topping a crowded field of Republican presidential hopefuls with 16 of the vote, followed by Kentucky Senator Rand Paul at 13, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker at 12 and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at 10. No other candidate cracks double digits. New Hampshire holds the first-in-the-nation primary, shortly after the Iowa caucuses next February, and along with a small handful of early-voting states plays an outsize role in determining presidential-nomination fights. The poll also points at a potentially tough general election climate for Bush in the swing state if he secures the Republican nomination. Half of likely general election voters there view him unfavorably and only 35 view him favorably. That's compared to 54 of voters who have favorable views of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the presumed Democratic front-runner. MORE Wisconsin Governor Leads Tight 2016 Race in Iowa, The survey, conducted Jan. 31 to Feb. 5, has a margin of error of 4.9 for the primary and 4.4 for the general election.