WaPo has a piece out today on a new Quinnipiac poll which shows Hillary is tied or losing to three top Republican challengers in three key swing states – Iowa, Colorado and Virginia. These numbers need context and caveats, of course. They’re way, way out in advance of the election. They are, with the exception of Jeb Bush, against largely unknown candidates, Walker and Rubio. And perhaps as much as anything, they come on the heels of two major controversies, Benghazi! (tm) and the emails story, that have significantly knocked down her numbers on trust and honesty.
Still these numbers shows that any thought of complacency set up behind the Blue electoral wall of the Obama era is not a viable strategy. Hillary will have to fight hard for these states and probably in ways that will differ from the way Obama did.
Republicans are virtually certain they are running again Hillary Clinton next year. And they’re spending huge amounts of money to drive down voters’ perception of her. And it’s working.
I wouldn’t call this a cause for alarm. But it’s something to keep an eye on.
