According to the latest Quinnipiac University’s Swing State Poll, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s support is eroding as a result of her lack of openness regarding the private email server she was using during her term at Foggy Bottom.
The Swing State Poll surveys three key states, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Since 1960 no candidate has won the presidency without winning at least two of these three states.
While those polled do not want a congressional investigation of Clinton’s emails, most voters believe she is not honest and trustworthy.
More than half of voters in each state believe that there are serious questions remaining about her emails (56% in Florida, 52% in Ohio, 55% in Pennsylvania). Fifty-one percent of Florida and Ohio voters and 52% of Pennsylvania voters said Clinton’s use of a personal email address for official State Department business was “very important” or “somewhat important” to consider when voting for president in 2016. And a significant 38% of Florida voters, 36% of those in Ohio, and 41% in Pennsylvania say they are less likely to vote for Clinton as a result of the scandal.
As reported by the Washington Times:
Mrs. Clinton lost ground in hypothetical matchups against every potential Republican rival in the bellwether states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania in the wake of an email scandal and other controversies that erupted last month, Quinnipiac University’s Swing State Poll found.
The closest contests are in Florida, where former Gov. Jeb Bush tops Mrs. Clinton 45 percent to 42 percent, and in Pennsylvania, where Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky narrowly beats her 45 percent to 44 percent, according to the poll.
Mrs. Clinton had the lead in both matchups in the same poll Feb. 2.
In Ohio, Mrs. Clinton topped Mr. Paul 46 percent to 41 percent. That is a significant tightening of the race since the February poll, when Mrs. Clinton had a 12-point advantage over Mr. Paul, 48 percent to 34 percent.
The former secretary of state, senator and first lady still beats every Republican in the Buckeye State, though by smaller margins than in February.
Mrs. Clinton also has lost the double-digit leads she once held over most Republicans in all three states. Her only double-digit leads now are in Ohio over Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, 48 percent to 38 percent, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, 49 percent to 38 percent.
With Election Day 2016 eighteen months away, much can still happen to change these numbers one way or the other. There are two important points to take away. First, the email scandal is eroding Hillary Clinton’s standing among American voters, while the scandal surrounding donations to the Clinton Foundation hasn’t hit yet. The drip, drip of scandal surrounding Clinton may end up really hurting her.
The second thing to understand is about the polls vs. other candidates. Clinton’s recognition is above 90% in all three states, while it can be assumed that recognition of the GOP candidates is much, much lower. This gives those candidates an opportunity to define themselves and gain popularity while Clinton is busily wiping the stain of scandal off her reputation.
But Republicans should beware. The Dems are excellent at creating false images of GOP candidates. Just witness what they did to Mitt Romney.
Cross-posted at The Lid
