CNN reporter Jeff Zeleny remarked Sunday that Hillary Clinton's "likability" and "trust" have been frozen in the polls, pointing to problems for her down the line in the 2016 general election as she secures her grip on the Democratic nomination.
A Quinnipiac poll last week showed Clinton losing general election match-ups to Dr. Ben Carson by 10 points, Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) by five points and Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) by three points. In the Democratic primary, Clinton led Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) by 18 points, but Quinnipiac polling director Tim Malloy pointed out Clinton had significant problems with character issues among the electorate.
"Clinton gets crushed on character issues, pounded by Carson and closely challenged by Sen. Ted Cruz, Donald Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio," Malloy said.
Clinton was 10 points underwater in favorability in the poll, and 60 percent of voters said she was not honest or trustworthy, versus just 36 percent who thought she had those qualities. Those numbers have been consistently low in 2015 as the saga and criminal investigation of Clinton's private email server while secretary of state has unfolded. Clinton also lost the female vote to Carson and held slight edges against Rubio and Cruz in a category she is seeking to dominate.
"White, working-class women, she has a problem with," Inside Politics host John King said Sunday. "She also has a problem with independent voters. So what she hopes is [to] lock this up and then address your weaknesses."
"She's got some issues, as we're seeing for the general election," Boston Globe reporter Matt Viser said.