Hillary Clinton’s favorability rating among Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire has plummeted more than 10 points since December.
Currently, 72 percent of likely primary voters in the state view the former secretary of state positively, down from 74 percent a week ago and 83 percent in December, according to a Franklin Pierce University-Boston Herald poll released over the weekend.
Meanwhile, nearly nine in 10 likely New Hampshire primary voters view Clinton’s competitor, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), favorably. Sanders has opened up a considerable lead over Clinton in the state.
Sanders’ favorability score has expanded rapidly among New Hampshire Democratic primary voters, rising more than 30 points since March of last year, just before he announced his candidacy for president. Only 9 percent of likely primary voters in the state have an unfavorable opinion of Sanders, while a quarter hold a negative opinion of Clinton.
According to the latest survey, Sanders leads Clinton in the New Hampshire primary by 20 points, picking up 57 percent support to Clinton’s 37 percent. The 74-year-old Vermont senator leads Clinton among men, women, and all other demographics listed in the poll except for those age 65 and older and those who make over $100,000 annually.
Sanders has maintained a solid lead in New Hampshire for months as Clinton has witnessed her support and favorable scores fall amid controversy surrounding her use of a private, unsecured email server while heading the State Department.
Details about Clinton’s use of private email have continued to unfold into the new year. Last week, the Obama administration confirmed that 22 of her messages contained top secret information, and those messages were blocked from the State Department’s latest release.
The FBI is currently investigating Clinton’s personal email setup. She has insisted that she never sent nor received classified information on her private email.
The latest poll comes just as Sanders and Clinton go head-to-head in the Iowa caucus Monday night, which will likely be a tight race. New Hampshire voters are the second state in the nation to vote in the primary.