Hillary Clinton's Numbers Are Down, But The Democrats Still Love Her

A new poll from NBC News and the Wall Street Journal show Hillary Clinton’s popularity among the general public is falling away.
According to the survey, 44 percent of respondents say their opinion of the former First Lady are somewhat or very positive. That is down from 51 percent, the support Clinton received in a similar poll, taken in September. Her negative numbers also rose over the last eight months, from 31 to 37 percent. When Clinton ran for the Oval Office in 2008, 46 percent of respondents approved of her, while 39 percent were opposed.
The poll also showed the Democratic Party is currently more popular than Republicans. Hillary’s party was given 38 percent positive ratings, while four in 10 oppose Democrats. Republicans received 29 percent support in the poll, while 45 percent have an unfavorable view of the GOP.
Of Democratic primary voters, 72 out of 100 voters gave Clinton a perfect score for “being knowledgeable and experienced enough to handle the presidency.”
Hillary Clinton is considered by many pundits to be the front runner for the Democratic nomination for President in 2016. She has not yet announced her candidacy. A poll taken in Iowa in March showed Hillary beating any Republican candidate there in a theoretical race. That survey shows Kentucky Senator Rand Paul as the best hope for the GOP against the 66-year-old Clinton.
The relative popularity of the Democratic Party is not doing much to help the incumbent President, however. Obama was given just 41 percent approval, matching the lowest point of his presidency. Meanwhile, 54 out of every 100 Americans — a majority of voters — disapprove of the way the Commander-in-chief is carrying out his job. Fewer Americans now trust Barack Obama than George W. Bush at the same time in his tenure in the Oval Office.
Interestingly, only one percent of people in the poll say they have no opinion of the former Secretary of State. A greater percentage of people say they have no opinion about either of the two major parties in Washington.