Poll shows Clinton vulnerable in key swing states

Hillary Clinton tops potential Republican challengers in Iowa, but her potential 2016 rivals come within striking distance of the former secretary of state in both Virginia and Colorado, a new swing-state poll shows.

Clinton surpasses the GOP pack by at least a 7 percentage-point margin, according to a Quinnipiac University Poll released Wednesday. She bests her closest competitor in the state, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, 45 percent to 38 percent.


She also beats out Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul 45 percent to 37 percent, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie 44 percent to 34 percent, and both former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker 45 percent to 35 percent.

Clinton’s lead isn’t as strong in other swing states, the poll showed. She ties Bush in Virginia, each with 42 percent of the vote, and edges Paul 43 percent to 41 percent in Colorado — falling within the margin of error. (Walker also trails Clinton in Colorado by just 2 percentage points, 42 to 40.)

The Quinnipiac University poll was conducted Feb. 5-15 and surveyed 1,049 Colorado voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points; 1,089 Iowa voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points; 1,074 Virginia voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.