Rand Paul places second in N.H. 2016 poll

WASHINGTON - Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul places second in a new poll on the 2016 presidential race in the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire.

The leader among possible Republican candidates in the Granite State is former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, with 16 percent support among GOP primary voters, according to the Bloomberg Politics/Saint Anselm College New Hampshire Poll. Paul has 13 percent.

Behind them are Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker at 12 percent; New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at 10 percent; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 6 percent each; Florida Sen. Marco Rubio at 5 percent; and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and real estate tycoon Donald Trump each at 3 percent.

The good news for Paul from New Hampshire follows similar results in a Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics Iowa Poll, in which he placed second at 14 percent, one point behind Walker.

Paul was in Iowa for political events over the weekend. He also was recently in New Hampshire.

The Kentuckian has said he will decide on whether to run for president "some time this spring," possibly as early as next month.

The Bloomberg survey in New Hampshire delved deeper in primary voters' views of Paul, Walker, Christie and Bush. The poll found that when people were asked which candidate "understands people like you," Kentucky's junior senator scored slightly better than his potential rivals. Likewise, when survey participants were asked which candidate "has a more positive vision for the future," Paul came out on top.

Paul did not as well when people were asked which candidate "would do a better job creating new jobs" and which candidate "would do a better job combating terrorism."

As for going up against Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, 28 percent of Republican primary voters picked Bush as the stronger candidate, while Paul, Walker and Christie each got 18 percent.