As Hillary Clinton faces increased scrutiny for her use of an unsecured personal email server while secretary of state, the Democratic presidential candidate continues to struggle to win voters over on the basis of trust.
The wide majority of Democratic primary voters who focused primarily on the trustworthiness of candidates backed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) in the New Hampshire primary Tuesday, according to exit polls reported by ABC News.
Specifically, one-third of New Hampshire Democratic primary voters focused on the candidate who they believed to be most honest and trustworthy. Ninety-two percent of these individuals voted for Sanders, while 6 percent backed Clinton for the nomination.
Overall, Clinton lost the primary race to Sanders by 22 points.
Clinton’s honest rating, along with her poll numbers, has taken a hit since it was revealed last March that she used personal email to conduct government business while at the State Department. The Obama administration recently confirmed that nearly two dozen emails on Clinton’s server contain top secret information. Clinton has insisted that she never sent nor received information marked classified on her private email.
Clinton’s campaign has dismissed the controversy surrounding her email as the result of partisan efforts to damage her presidential ambitions. The FBI is currently investigating her email setup, which the agency formally confirmed for the first time in a letter earlier this month.
More than a quarter of Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire said they focused on the candidate who "cares about people like me," according to exit polls Tuesday. Eight-in-10 of these voters backed Sanders, while 18 percent cast their ballots for Clinton.
Sanders beat Clinton among most demographic groups Tuesday, including women. Sanders dominated among Democratic voters under the age of 30, winning 84 percent to Clinton’s 15 percent. Sanders was similarly successful among younger voters in the Iowa Democratic caucus last week, where Clinton narrowly beat him.
During a speech from New Hampshire Tuesday night after the results were announced, Clinton acknowledged that she has "work to do" among younger voters. Her campaign has sought to minimize the importance of the first-in-the-nation Democratic primary, instead putting emphasis on states that vote in March.
While Sanders beat Clinton among most demographics , Clinton did prevail among those ages 65 and older and those belonging to families who make over $200,000 annually, according to the New York Times.