Ever the thorn in the GOP’s side, Hillary’s heir-apparent status as the eventual Democrat nominee continues its juggernaut status in the polls despite surging media attention on the coming Republican fight.
According to the latest WashPo-ABC poll on the 2016 race, Hillary commands a double-digit lead over the defacto GOP front-runners Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush.
In a head-to-head matchup today, Hillary would defeat Bush 54-41 and similarly would best Romney 55-40. The news comes as a blow to the two candidates who, unlike other primary rivals, cannot easily argue that they simply need time to define themselves for voters.
Interestingly, Hillary would only defeat Rand Paul and Chris Christie by 13 points. If Both of these candidates have time to more fully introduce themselves to voters.
Also, nearly a quarter of the respondents indicated that Bill Clinton’s presidency make them more likely to vote for Hillary. Only 14% said it would make them less likely to vote for her whereas Bush’s father and brother’s presidency and Romney’s past runs affect them negatively by 33% and 26% respectively.
Jeb Bush’s greatest challenge in the general election if nominated by his party, argue analysts, is that he must be able either to shed or repackage the negative stigma that comes with his family name. Similarly, Mitt Romney would have to successfully shed the negative baggage of having lost twice already and the preconceived notions that come with those campaigns.
Ultimately, the next year provides plenty of time for public opinion to drastically shift and there is no clear indication of who the 2016 nominees will be.
