Rand Paul appears to be a stronger Republican candidate in Iowa now than Rubio, according to the most recent Quinnipiac poll released Friday.

“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.

The survey polled about a hypothetical match-up between Clinton or Biden and Rubio or Paul. While Clinton leads Rubio 48 percent to 37 percent, she is barely ahead of Paul with 46 percent to 42 percent. On the other hand, Vice President Joe Biden, a possible 2016 Democratic candidate, got 39 percent to Rubio’s 40 percent and trailed Paul 39 percent to 44 percent, the poll showed.

“The major difference between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joseph Biden is that she runs much better among independent voters, Brown said. However, that is not the case when Rand Paul runs as the Republican nominee. In a hypothetical Clinton-Paul race, the poll showed Paul leading Clinton 44 percent to 38 percent among independent voters. Clinton won women 53 percent to 34 percent for Paul. Among men, 49 percent supported Paul to 39 percent for Clinton.

(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)