Clinton Would Easily Beat Trump but Would Lose to These Two GOP Candidates, Poll Finds

Democratic presidential Hillary Clinton would convincingly defeat Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump by 10 points if the election were held today, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

Clinton would also beat the surging Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, now the leading GOP candidate in Iowa, but with only by a three-point margin.

(Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Interestingly, retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson, who has been falling in GOP polls of late, and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whose polling strength has only been increasing incrementally, would both defeat Clinton, the poll found.

Clinton wins 50 percent to 40 percent over Trump in a hypothetical general election matchup, with the remainder undecided. Among independent voters, a demographic that backed Republican Mitt Romney in 2012, Clinton beats Trump 43 percent to 36 percent.

In a head-to-head matchup against Cruz, Clinton leads 48 percent to Cruz’s 45 percent.‬

Rubio performs the strongest against Clinton, garnering 48 percent to Clinton's 45 percent, and among independents his margin is even larger, 44 percent to 37 percent.

Carson would win a slim one-point victory over Clinton, 47 percent to 46 percent. However, it's Carson who performs the strongest among the coveted independent voters, holding a double-digit lead over Clinton among the demographic, 48 percent to 34 percent.

Clinton still leads 56 percent to 37 percent over her nearest Democratic opponent, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.