Hillary Clinton's senior strategist tried to duck questions about his candidate's sinking poll numbers on Friday, eventually stating he has "no idea" whether her unfavorability would keep her from being elected.
Clinton's favorability numbers have declined sharply in recent months, reaching "near Trump-ian" lows in several key swing states.
"Can she be elected president even if more people view her unfavorably than favorably?" Bloomberg host Mark Halperin asked Clinton strategist Joel Benenson. "Can she?"
"You know, she will be favorable and above water by the time she is elected president," Benenson said.
"And if she's not, can she be [elected]?" Halperin pressed.
Benenson ultimately said he has "no idea" whether Clinton could win the presidency if she is still viewed unfavorably by election day.
Polls have consistently found that the public does not view Hillary Clinton as honest or trustworthy, due in part to the cloud of scandal that envelops her.
The Free Beacon reports,
Strong majorities of American voters rate Hillary Clinton as not trustworthy and unconcerned about their needs and problems as the Democratic presidential candidate continues to battle her months-long private email scandal.
A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday demonstrates that 57 percent of voters believe Clinton to not be honest and trustworthy, while 52 percent say she does not care about the needs of average Americans. She scores the worst in these categories among all of the Democratic candidates for president.
Clinton also is currently enjoying her worst net favorable rating ever, as 51 percent of U.S. voters view her negatively and merely 40 percent positively. Meanwhile, her opponent Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) has seen his favorable score jump 13 percentage points since May.
The former secretary of state is also the Democratic candidate that voters on the left name they are most likely not to support for their party’s nomination in 2016.
Republican candidates Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, and Donald Trump are all gaining on her nationally.