Election 2016: Ahead Of Christmas, Clinton And Trump Lead In Polls

Ahead of Christmas Day, some presidential candidates got their own version stocking stuffers — good poll numbers. According to one poll, Hillary Clinton leads the pack of Democrats running for their party’s nomination for president while another poll indicated Donald Trump is still ahead on the Republican side.

A CNN/ORC poll gave Clinton 50 percent support among Democrats and independents who lean Democrat while her competition, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Ind-Vt., garnered 34 percent. Clinton’s performance in last week's debate also may have contributed to an increase in her poll numbers.

Clinton led Sanders 45 percent to 37 percent in interviews conducted before last week’s debate. After the debate, however, Clinton’s support ran up to 60 percent while Sanders’ support fell to 27 percent.

Clinton leads Sanders on many issues. Some 47 percent said Clinton would be better able to handle economic issues, 72 percent said she can handle foreign policy matters best and 51 percent said she can handle gun policy better, the poll showed.

Those polled also were more likely to say Clinton has the experience needed to become president. Some 89 percent of respondents said the former secretary of state has the right experience while 62 percent said Sanders has the experience.

Trump, along with other Republican presidential hopefuls Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Ohio Gov. John Kasich are also fairing well in the polls. A survey released Wednesday by the American Research Group — a market research group in New Hampshire — found Trump leads the way among New Hampshire Republicans likely to vote in the primary with 21 percent.

Rubio stands behind Trump in the poll with 15 percent while Kasich has 13. Kasich, however, polls second among the GOP voters, with 81 percent saying they would consider voting for Kasich, just under Rubio who polled at 83 percent.