Some Democrats showing worry over Hillary’s poll numbers

Certainly there will be a divide between Democrats who like Hillary Clinton, and Democrats who are not entirely on board when it comes to whether a poll is good or bad for her. In this case, a new Politico survey of political insiders is evenly divided on the current state of Hillary’s campaign when it comes to polling indicators such as favorability.

Report from Politico:

Early-state Democrats are evenly divided over whether Hillary Clinton’s campaign should be worried about recent polls showing her highest unfavorability ratings in years.

Exactly 50 percent say there’s cause for concern while the other 50 percent saw no reason for alarm.

That’s the assessment of this week’s survey of the POLITICO Caucus — a bipartisan group of influential activists, operatives and elected officials in Iowa and New Hampshire.

“Twenty-plus Republicans beating her up, Elizabeth Warren talking about the working man issues that terrify her, a couple of candidates like Bernie [Sanders] and Martin [O’Malley] to fill in her policy blanks and a media that feels stiffed by her lack of access, so all we can focus on is emails and the notorious Clinton Foundation and newly acquired wealth that suggests, at a minimum, the appearance of impropriety,” one Granite State Democrat said, offering an explanation for her sinking favorability. “Frankly if Hillary could step back at look at herself she would rate herself unfavorably as well.”

That remark comes during a week in which two major national polls delivered troubling results, including a CNN/ORC poll released Tuesday that showed Clinton with her highest unfavorability ratings of the past 14 years. A separate poll released Tuesday by The Washington Post and ABC News found that Clinton’s favorability was just 45 percent — her lowest in that survey since April 2008, when she was in the middle of a nomination battle with Barack Obama.

As noted, much of the explanation may come from the fact that almost the entirety of the GOP and Democratic fields are attacking Hillary Clinton. She’s taking flack from her left, from the likes of Sanders and O’Malley, and she’s taking flack from her right from the Republicans. In short, she’s currently the biggest target for 2016.

Add to that the continued stream of unflattering Clinton Foundation stories, and you’ve got a recipe for a poll dive. I don’t think it is too surprising that her numbers have dipped. People tend to like politicians more when they’re not forced to think about them or consider them running for higher office.

The good news for Hillary’s team is that time is still on her side. We’re early in a campaign season and I’m certain they’re goal is to run out the clock before she’s forced to give more press conferences or take on opponents directly.


Nate Ashworth

The Founder and Editor-In-Chief of Election Central. He's been blogging elections and politics for over a decade. He started covering the 2008 Presidential Election which turned into a full-time political blog in 2012 and 2016 that continues today.

Email Updates

Want the latest Election Central news delivered to your inbox?

Leave a Comment