A Quinnipiac University national poll found that former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is still the early favorite to win the 2016 presidential election.

The poll, which asked participants who they would vote for if the election were held today, had Clinton the easy victor over some of the Republican’s top bets, including NJ Governor Chris Christie, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. 
 
Clinton beat Christie 45 - 37 percent; bested Rubio 50 - 34 percent and topped Ryan 50 - 38 percent. 
 
While Chris Christie bested Joe Biden at 43 percent to 40 percent and topped NY Governor Andrew Cuomo 45 percent to 28 percent, the poll reveals that Democrats still have the stronghold as far as approval ratings are concerned.
 
Voters disapprove of the job Democrats are doing in Congress at 60 - 32 percent, which is less than the 71 - 20 percent disapproval for Republicans in Congress. 
 
Peter A. Brown, the assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said "Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would start a 2016 presidential campaign with enormous advantages.”
 
"She obviously is by far the best known,” added Brown, “and her more than 20 years in the public spotlight allows her to create a very favorable impression on the American people. But it is worth noting that she had very good poll numbers in 2006 looking toward the 2008 election, before she faced a relative unknown in Barack Obama." 
 
However, Brown did also point out that “it is worth noting that she [Clinton] had very good poll numbers in 2006 looking toward the 2008 election, before she faced a relative unknown in Barack Obama.”
 
The Quinnipiac University poll was conducted Feb. 27 through March 4 and included 1,944 registered voters.