Clinton Reaches 90% Favorability Rating in New Poll from the Saint Leo University Polling Institute; Ryan, Christie, and Paul Leading Choices Among Republicans
If Hillary Clinton runs for president, the former First Lady and Secretary of State will receive a near-universal welcome among Democrats, according to a new national survey conducted by the Saint Leo University Polling Institute.
Clinton’s favorability rating reached 90 percent among Democrats in a poll conducted December 1-6. Among likely Democratic voters, 87 percent said they could support Clinton if she seeks the Democratic nomination. Among likely voters of all parties, Clinton’s favorability rating stands at 62 percent favorable.
“Almost every Democrat likes Hillary, even many independents like her and some Republicans. She’s overwhelmingly more visible than even Joe Biden, and he’s been the vice president for five years,” said Frank Orlando, instructor of political science at Saint Leo.
Vice President Joe Biden is also very popular among Democrats – just not as universally popular as Clinton. Biden’s favorable/unfavorable rating among Democrats is 79/12, with 44 percent of Democrats saying they would consider supporting Biden if he runs for president. Among all likely voters, Biden’s favorability rating is 51 percent favorable, 43 percent unfavorable.
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is not as well-known as Clinton or Biden, but she is popular among those who do know her. Warren’s favorability rating among Democrats is 39/14, but is a statistically even 28/27 among all voters. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley’s rating is 20/15 among Democrats and 15/22 among members of all parties. Just 7 percent of Democrats say they would consider supporting him, putting O’Malley behind Warren (21 percent), New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (21 percent), and U.S. Sen. Corey Booker of New Jersey (14 percent) by that measure.
The Republican field of candidates is tightly bunched. U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin leads the field with 39 percent of Republicans saying they could support him. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (37 percent) and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky (34 percent) are close behind. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (32 percent), U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida (27 percent), and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas (25 percent) follow. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (19 percent), former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania (17 percent), and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (15 percent) also reached double digits.
Ryan has the strongest favorability ratings among Republicans, registering 60/14 in the poll. Christie (57/22), Paul (51/19), and Cruz (46/23) are also popular among Republicans.
The tea party movement continues to polarize the public. The tea party is popular among Republicans and conservatives, but is very unpopular among liberals, moderates, Democrats, and independent voters. Among conservative voters, the tea party’s favorability rating is 61 percent favorable, 22 percent unfavorable. Among moderates, it’s 19/62, and among liberals it’s 14/74.
President Obama’s job approval rating is 50 percent approval, 45 percent disapproval.
Americans may be divided about their presidential preferences but they are united on one point: Everyone dislikes Congress. Congress’s approval rating is just 15 percent, with 80 percent disapproving on the job it is doing. Fifty-eight percent say they strongly disapprove of Congress. Similar numbers were found across demographic groups.