Clinton, Rubio lead in 2016 US election poll

Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio are early frontrunners to become the next president of the United States, according to a well-regarded poll released Thursday.

Clinton — a celebrity former secretary of state, first lady and New York senator — who is bidding to become America’s first female president, is head-and-shoulders above her 2016 Democratic party rivals according to a Quinnipiac University poll.

She has the backing of 60 percent of Democrats, according to the survey, with her nearest potential rival, Vice President Joe Biden trailing on 10 percent.

At first blush, that would appear to be superb news for Clinton supporters, who were shocked to lose the party nomination to Barack Obama in 2008.

But Clinton’s seemingly unassailable lead has the party faithful worried that a meek primary campaign will leave her far from battle hardened by the time the general election campaign against the Republican nominee begins.

Perhaps more concerning for Clintonites will be Quinnipiac’s finding that more than half of all voters polled say the 67-year-old is not trustworthy.

Republican party operatives have already launched a massive campaign to undercut Clinton’s appeal by painting her as out of touch, manipulative and not to be trusted.

The scandals and pseudo-scandals of her husband Bill Clinton’s tenure in the White House have been restated, along with allegations about her use of a private email server, her handling of the murder of a US diplomat in Libya and foreign donations to the Clinton family foundation.

Until now, candidate Clinton has mostly brushed off criticism, choosing instead to focus on meeting voters in the first primary states Iowa and New Hampshire.