Voters who were asked in a presidential poll who they think will have a lead in the 2016 election said Hillary Clinton will defeat her rivals.

In a Quinnipiac nationnal poll released Thursday, Clinton beat all candidates in the 2016 presidential field in hypothetical match ups.

The poll tested Democrats Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden, and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo individually against Republicans New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan. From Feb. 27 - March 4, Quinnipiac University surveyed 1,944 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.2 percentage points.

The recently retired secretary of state and former first lady was the only Democrat in the poll voted to beat all Republicans. Clinton beat Christie, 45-37 percent, Ryan 50-38 percent, and Rubio by 50-34 percent.

"Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton would start a 2016 presidential campaign with enormous advantages," said the polling institute's assistant director Peter Brown. "She obviously is by far the best known, and her more than 20 years in the public spotlight allows her to create a very favourable impression on the American people."

She tied Christie 36 - 36 percent among independent voters while Biden trailed Christie 44 - 32 percent among those same voters. Cuomo trailed Christie 47 - 20 percent among independent voters.

Christie was the strongest in terms of Republicans. Christie beat Biden 43-40 percent. Biden, however, defeated Rubio 45-38 percent and Ryan 45-42 percent. Cuomo lost to Christie 45-28 percent and also lost to Ryan, 42-37 percent. Cuomo, however, tied with Rubio at 37 percent.

In February Quinnipiac University released a poll revealing Clinton was the most popular political figure in America, according to News.com.au. She was even ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama, who beat her in the 2008 Democratic primary.

Clinton, stepped down from her post at the State Department on Feb. 1. The Senate confirmed Obama's nominee to replace her: Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.