By Scott Conroy - July 22, 2013

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is tied with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in a hypothetical 2016 general election matchup in Iowa, according to a Quinnipiac poll released on Monday.

Clinton and Christie each earned 41 percent in the poll of 1,256 registered voters in Iowa, which had a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percent.

The poll revealed a wide gender gap in the potential race, as Clinton earned the support of 47 percent of women and 35 percent of men, while Christie had the backing of 45 percent of men and 37 percent of women.

In a separate hypothetical matchup against Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Clinton led 46 percent to 39 percent for the first-term Republican, who last year survived a contentious recall attempt.

Both Christie and Walker are thought to be mulling bids for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, while Clinton would enter the race as the clear favorite in the Democratic field.

Walker received a warm reception when he visited the state in May, and many Iowa political insiders believe that the Wisconsin governor would be a strong contender in the Republican caucuses, if he decides to run for president.