Hillary Clinton’s popularity continues to slide as she takes on a more political posture and Republicans raise questions about the deadly 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic post inLibya on her watch.
Fifty-two percent of Americans view the former secretary of state favorably, down from 56 percent in March and 70 percent in December 2012, according to the Bloomberg National Poll.
The decline means Clinton wouldn’t enter a possible 2016 race as a prohibitive favorite over key Republican rivals. While she still bests them in head-to-head matchups, she doesn’t have majority support against any of them.
Among likely 2016 voters, Clinton beats New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, 45 percent to 38 percent, the poll shows. When matched against Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Clinton pulls 47 percent support compared with 38 percent for each of her opponents. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida registers only slightly weaker, drawing 36 percent backing to Clinton’s 47 percent.
In the March Bloomberg poll, Clinton was ahead of Christie among likely voters by 52 percent to 39 percent.