The share of Americans with an unfavorable impression of Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton has grown by eight percentage points in just over one month, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll released Wednesday.
As Clinton’s email scandal worsens and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders closes in on her in Iowa caucus polls, the public’s perception of the Democrats’ leading lady is dwindling rapidly.
Clinton boasted net-positive ratings in mid-July, with 52 percent of Americans holding favorable views of her versus the 45 percent who held unfavorable views. In the latest poll, the former secretary of state’s ratings have virtually flip-flopped.
Fifty-three percent of voters now hold negative views of Clinton, while 45 percent maintain a favorable impression of the former first lady. Meanwhile, the same poll shows the opposite happening for Republican front-runner Donald Trump.
The outspoken billionaire’s favorability rating improved slightly with a 4 percent jump since mid-July, while the number of Americans who view Trump unfavorably declined by 2 percent. He is still viewed unfavorably by 59 percent and looked upon favorably by just 37 percent.
During several campaign appearances last week, Trump began shifting his rhetoric to focus less on himself and more on what he now describes as a “movement.”
“I don’t want it to be about me,” he told voters in Nashville, Tenn., last Saturday, as previously reported by the Washington Examiner.
The Washington Post/ABC News poll includes responses from 1,005 Americans interview by telephone between Aug. 26-30. The poll has a 3.5 percent margin of error.
