Poll finds Clinton would beat out Trump and Cruz

NEW YORK, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- In hypothetical match-ups, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would beat Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, but lose to Ben Carson or Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.

In an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Monday, 50 percent of respondents chose Clinton while 40 percent chose Trump. In a closer match-up, 48 percent chose Clinton while 45 percent chose Cruz.

Carson beat out Clinton by just one point, with 47 percent to Clinton's 46 percent. When it came to Rubio, 48 percent chose him while 45 percent chose Clinton.

Among Democratic candidates, 56 percent would vote for Clinton for president. Thirty-seven percent would vote for Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., while only four percent would vote for former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley.

Among Republicans, 27 percent would vote for Trump, followed closely by Cruz with 22 percent. Rubio lags behind both with 15 percent, and Carson even further behind with 11 percent.

The poll surveyed 1,000 adults between Dec. 6-9 with a margin of error between +/- 3.1 and 4.9.