Poll: Voters Don’t Trust Clinton, But She Holds 10-Point Lead

WASHINGTON (CQ-Roll Call/TNS) —
Hats displaying support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton are displayed by a sidewalk vendor, Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2016, in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Hats showing support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton are displayed by a sidewalk vendor in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday shows the depth of how much of a lesser-of-two-evils election this year’s presidential race is.

Nearly two-thirds of those who said they were voting for Republican candidate Donald Trump say they’re motivated more by ensuring that Democrat Hillary Clinton doesn’t get into the White House than by making sure that Trump does. Only 25 percent said their vote was pro-Trump rather than anti-Clinton.

Among those who said they were voting for Clinton, 47 percent were pro-Clinton and 32 percent said they were voting against Trump.

The poll also was consistent with most others that show both candidates have the lowest favorability ratings in any presidential election. Despite those high unfavorables, though, Clinton holds a 10-point lead over Trump.

“Trump’s missteps, stumbles and gaffes seem to outweigh Clinton’s shaky trust status and perceived shady dealings,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. “Wow, is there any light at the end of this dark and depressing chapter in American politics?”

While Clinton leads Trump overall, only 44 percent of likely American voters polled like the Democratic nominee “a lot” or “a little,” 47 percent dislike her “a little” or “a lot;” 8 percent said they hate her.

There’s less love for Trump: While 35 percent of voters said they like Trump a little or a lot, 53 percent say the dislike him and 10 percent said they hate him.

Those polled, however, saw Trump as more honest than Clinton. Or less dishonest: While 53 percent said Trump was dishonest, 66 percent said they felt Clinton was.

To Read The Full Story

Are you already a subscriber?
Click to log in!