Poll: Christie Slowly Catching Up to Clinton in Iowa

He's five points closer than in March.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is slowly gaining ground on Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, according to a new poll.

According to a Quinnipiac University poll released Monday, the New Jersey governor trails Clinton 44 percent to 36 percent among Iowa voters, a 5-percentage-point gain since March, when he trailed 48 percent to 35 percent.

A Gallup poll earlier this month reported that Clinton’s popularity has declined in recent months. That survey reported that 54 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of Clinton, down from 59 percent in February. While she served at the State Department during President Barack Obama’s first term, she averaged a favorability rating of 64 percent.

Of course, Christie’s matchup with Clinton might not matter at this point: The state hosts first-in-the-nation caucuses, but Christie and Clinton, being of different parties, wouldn’t actually face each other at that point. Only if both won their respective party’s nominations would they be battling in Iowa for votes. [Politico]