Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton’s favorability rating among independent voters has plummeted by 15 points since January, according to a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC poll.
The poll from April, which MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell discussed on her show Wednesday, found that 20 percent of independents view Clinton positively and 62 percent view her negatively, a 42-point gap in the wrong direction for the former first lady. The same poll showed that, at the beginning of 2016, Clinton had a 35 percent positivity rating and a negative rating of 54 percent, a gap of only 19 points.
Clinton has struggled to gain the support of independents throughout the Democratic primary, with many of them flocking to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), a self-declared socialist and Clinton’s primary opponent.
Sanders won 72 percent of independent voters in Tuesday night’s Indiana primary, which helped propel him to a five-point win over Clinton.
The Vermont senator has criticized states that hold closed primaries, which only allow registered party members to vote and prevent independents from doing so.
Despite Clinton’s lack of support from independents, she is still considered the presumptive Democratic nominee and maintains a three million vote lead over Sanders in the popular vote and a comfortable advantage over him with both pledged and unpledged delegates.
Beyond independents, Clinton’s overall favorability ratings have been low throughout the campaign, with most Americans viewing her in a negative light, potentially posing issues for her in a general election.
These numbers are in large part a result of a majority of Americans thinking Clinton is untrustworthy and dishonest, according to recent polling.