Clinton's Poll Numbers Dropping With Voters, GOP Opponents: CNN
Melanie Batley
Signs are indicating that 2016 Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton has hit a speed bump in her campaign for the presidency, with more people having an unfavorable view of her now than at any time since 2001, a new poll has found.
According to a CNN/ORC poll conducted May 29-31 of 1,025 adults, half of Americans have an unfavorable view of the former secretary of state and a growing number of people say she is not honest and trustworthy.
Specifically, 57 percent say they do not think she is honest and trustworthy compared to 49 percent in March. And 47 percent say they feel she cares about them, down from 53 percent in July.
Fifty percent also say they feel she does not inspire confidence, an increase from 42 percent last March.
Clinton's lead has also slimmed or disappeared altogether in match-ups against top Republican contenders, marking the tightest spread since any point in the survey's history:
- Clinton has 48 percent compared to 47 percent for Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul
- Clinton has 49 percent compared to 46 percent for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio
- Clinton has 49 percent compared to 46 percent for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker
- Clinton leads at 51 percent compared to 43 percent for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush
- Clinton has 52 percent compared to 43 percent for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz
The shift appears to come from independent voters, CNN said, but Clinton is also losing ground among those in her own party. Specifically, her support among Democrats has dropped 9 points since April.
And earlier this year more than 8-in-10 Democrats said they thought she was honest and trustworthy, but the figure has now dropped to 73 percent.
Meanwhile, Bush has problems of his own.
Fifty-six percent of those surveyed said his family connections would make them less likely to support him for the presidency, compared to just 27 percent who say the links to two former presidents would make them more likely to support him.
Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 42 percent say they are more likely to back Bush because of his family connections but 38 percent say they are less likely to vote for him for that reason.
The survey also found that no one has emerged as a leader in the crowded Republican field, even though there has been some shake-up at the top since the last CNN/ORC poll in April:
- Rubio leads with 14 percent
- Bush gets 13 percent
- Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Walker each have 10 percent
- Cruz and Paul each have 8 percent support
- Retired pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson has 7 percent support
Overall, about half of Republicans polled, or 49 percent, say they would like to see one strong front-runner emerge earlier, compared to 46 percent who say they would prefer a longer campaign with a range of strong contenders competing, the poll found.