New Poll Shows Hillary Clinton’s Favorability At Record Low

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks to child care workers during a visit to the Center For New Horizons Wednesday, May 20, 2015, in Chicago. (AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)
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Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s unfavorables are higher than her favorables, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll released Tuesday.

The poll found that 46 percent of those surveyed had a favorable opinion of the Democratic presidential candidate while 50 percent said they had an unfavorable opinion of her. By contrast, in March, the last time CNN/ORC polled Clinton’s favorability, 53 percent said they had a favorable opinion of her while 44 percent said they had an unfavorable opinion of her.

The methodology in the last two polls weighs more toward Independents. In the most recent poll, 27 percent described themselves as Democrats, 21 percent said they were Republicans, and 52 percent said they were Independents. In the March poll, 28 percent said they were Democrats, 24 percent said they were Republicans, and 48 percent said they were Independents.

The latest favorability finding is the lowest for Clinton in the poll’s history since 2006. The 50 percent unfavorable number is also the highest it’s been in that span of time.

A recent Quinnipiac poll also found Clinton’s unfavorable number higher than her favorables. That poll, conducted in May, found that 45 percent of those surveyed said they had a favorable opinion of her while 47 percent said they had an unfavorable opinion of her.

The latest CNN/ORC poll’s findings are welcome news for Republicans who have been hammering the former secretary of State on dealings at the Clinton foundation and Benghazi.

Still, Clinton remains the far and away favorite to win the Democratic primary and polls ahead of each Republican 2016 candidate in head-to-head matchups. In the latest CNN/ORC poll, the closest matchups are between Clinton and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) or Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). With Paul, Clinton beats the Kentucky senator 48 percent to 47 percent and with Rubio, Clinton beats him 48 percent to 46 percent.

The latest poll was conducted among 1,025 adults over telephone between May 29 and May 31. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

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