No wonder Republicans are freaking out about 2016, part the umpty-thousand. Gallup has
polled potential presidential candidates from both parties and offers an interesting comparison of the degree to which voters know who they are and like them. And suffice it to say, one of these things is not like the others:
People obviously know who Hillary Clinton is, and they like her. That favorability will take a hit if and as she enters the presidential race and is seen in a more political light, but she definitely starts out with a huge advantage—she can afford to take the hit. Among Republicans, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has the highest favorability, but he lags well behind Clinton there and even more on familiarity. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, meanwhile, are fairly widely known but not viewed so favorably. In short, the Republican presidential field is a sorry pack that's likely to have a nasty primary, and they know it and know it's reason to fear Hillary Clinton.