Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s unfavorable rating has steadily increased since March to 46 percent, with her favorable rating remaining relatively constant at 50 percent, according to Gallup.
Mrs. Clinton had a 50 percent/39 percent favorable/unfavorable split in March, which moved to a 48 percent/42 percent split in April and a 50 percent/46 percent split in May.
Though Mrs. Clinton remains the undisputed favorite to win the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, her campaign, which launched in April, has had to fend off questions surrounding Mrs. Clinton’s exclusive use of a private email system while serving as the nation’s top diplomat and questions surrounding donations to the Clinton Foundation while she was in office.
Still, her unfavorable rating ticked up most notably among Republicans; 88 percent view her unfavorably now, compared to 75 percent in March. Forty-three percent of independents view her unfavorably, compared to 40 percent in March, and 13 percent of Democrats view her unfavorably, compared to 10 percent in March.
Fifty-nine percent of Americans have a favorable view of former President Bill Clinton — whose role with the foundation and speaking fees he’s accepted have also come into question recently — compared to 38 percent who have an unfavorable view.
“Hillary Clinton has thus far weathered the political storms swirling around her fairly well, with her favorable rating staying close to 50% since March, even as her unfavorable score has edged up, particularly among Republicans,” Gallup’s Lydia Saad wrote. “For now, her supporters appear to be holding firm. But, should she be looking for ways to burnish her image among independents and Republicans, she might consider more strategic use of her husband on the campaign trail.”
SEE ALSO: 44 percent think Hillary Clinton ‘less ethical’ than most other politicians: poll
The survey of 1.024 adults was conducted May 6-10 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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