LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Sen. Rand Paul would be the clear choice of Kentucky Republicans if the presidential primary were held today but, among registered voters, would have only an even chance of defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton in a general election, according to the latest Bluegrass Poll.
The poll, conducted by SurveyUSA, found 26% of 517 Republicans certain to vote in a state primary Tuesday would choose Paul over 11 other GOP candidates. That's far ahead of 15% for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, 12% for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and 10% for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. Eight other Republican presidential contenders are in single digits.
The survey was conducted for The Courier-Journal, WHAS-TV, the Lexington Herald-Leader and WKYT-TV. It interviewed 2,400 Kentuckians between May 5 and May 10. Of those, 517 were Republicans who said they are certain to vote in next week's primary. The Republican voter sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.
But when all 2,104 registered voters in the sample were asked who they would vote for if Paul and Clinton are the only candidates in a general election next year, 45% said Paul and 45% Clinton.
