Meanwhile, Rubio (right) and Paul were the only two Republicans tested in the poll. | AP Photos Iowa 2016: Who tops latest poll?

Hillary Clinton beats Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in potential 2016 matchups in Iowa, according to a new poll Friday.

Clinton, a Democrat, would best Rubio 48 percent to 37 percent and she runs ahead of Paul 46 percent to 42 percent, the Quinnipiac University poll found.


A closer look at a potential Clinton-Paul matchup shows Paul leading among Iowa independents 44 percent to 38 percent. He also leads among men 49 percent to 39 percent. Clinton wins among women 53 percent to 34 percent.

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“In general, Sen. Paul appears to be the better GOP candidate at this point in Iowa. Part of the reason may be the publicity from his recent high-profile visit to the state, but more likely is that he begins with a solid base of support — the folks who voted for his father in the 2008 and 2012 caucuses,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Rubio and Paul were the only two Republicans tested in the poll.

In another potential matchup, Paul beats Vice President Joe Biden 44 percent to 39 percent. And Biden was essentially locked in a tie with Rubio, with the Florida Republican edging him 40 percent to 39 percent — well within the poll’s plus or minus 2.6 percentage points margin of error.

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“The major difference between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joseph Biden is that she runs much better among independent voters, although Sen. Rand Paul runs better among that key group than either Democrat,” Brown said in a statement.

Quinnipiac did not poll for the caucus matchups, nor did pollsters test other potential presidential candidates, such as GOP New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former GOP Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.

Pollsters phone-surveyed 1,411 registered voters between May 15 and May 21.