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Despite his favorite son status, New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie trails former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 50 - 42 percent in an early look at the 2016 presidential race in the Garden State, measured in a Quinnipiac University Poll released today. Secretary Clinton has double-digit leads over other possible Republican contenders, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds: * 54 - 34 percent over former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush; * 55 - 35 percent over U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky; * 57 - 34 percent over former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. There is a large gender gap in the Clinton-Christie matchup as women back the Democrat 54 - 38 percent, while men are divided with 47 percent for Christie and 44 percent for Clinton. She leads 85 - 10 percent among Democrats and 48 - 42 percent among independent voters. Republicans go to Christie 85 - 7 percent. "As Gov. Christopher Christie traipses around the nation, his presidential potential seems alive, but former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the adopted girl next door, easily beats him in his home state," said Maurice Carroll, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. "Gov. Christie does better against Clinton in New Jersey than the other Republicans. Here he looks like another Woodrow Wilson." New Jersey voters give Clinton a 60 - 38 percent favorability rating. Christie gets a split 47 - 47 percent favorable score. The other Republicans all get mixed favorability ratings: * 32 - 33 percent for Bush. * 31 - 33 percent for Paul * 34 - 31 percent for Huckabee. New Jersey voters say 55 - 39 percent that Christie would not be a good president. Democrats say no 79 - 16 percent and independent voters agree 55 - 39 percent. Republicans say 72 - 23 percent that Christie would make a good president. Christie should run for president, 46 percent of voters say, while 49 percent say he should stay home. "His New Jersey neighbors don't think Christie would be a good President and almost half of them don't want him to run," Carroll said. U.S. Senate Race Democratic first-term U.S. Sen. Cory Booker leads Republican challenger Jeff Bell 47 - 37 percent. Republicans back Bell 84 - 9 percent. Behind Booker are Democrats 85 - 3 percent and independent voters 42 - 34 percent. By a 47 - 27 percent margin, New Jersey voters have a favorable opinion of Booker. The challenger does not ring a bell with voters, as 77 percent don't know enough about him to form an opinion. That includes 68 percent of Republicans, 83 percent of Democrats and 77 percent of independent voters. "Hardly anyone knows Jeff Bell. Still, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker's lead is barely in double digits," Carroll said. "Two-thirds of Republicans don't know their Senate candidate, but more than 80 percent back him." Voters approve 47 - 27 percent of the job Booker is doing and say 48 - 31 percent he deserves a full six-year term in the Senate. U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez gets a 45 - 34 percent approval rating. President Barack Obama gets a negative 44 - 52 percent job approval rating, nearly matching his lowest rating ever in New Jersey, a negative 43 - 52 percent score in an October 13, 2011, Quinnipiac University poll. "Even in true-blue New Jersey, President Barack Obama's approval numbers are in the swamp," Carroll said. From July 31 - August 4, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,148 New Jersey voters, with a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percentage points. Live interviewers call land lines and cell phones. The Quinnipiac University Poll, directed by Douglas Schwartz, Ph.D., conducts public opinion surveys in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida, Ohio, Virginia, Iowa, Colorado and the nation as a public service and for research. For more information, visit http://www.quinnipiac.edu/polling, call (203) 582-5201, or follow us on Twitter.

Poll Questions - Formatting of archived tables may not render correctly, please email poll@qu.edu with any questions