The Republicans have been pounding away at Benghazi, trying to turn that tragedy into a political issue -- with the aim of trying to tarnish the image of Hillary Clinton. I think they believe they must make a big dent in her popularity right now, if they are to have any chance of beating her in a presidential contest next year (and they, like most Americans, do believe she will run -- and will win the Democratic nomination).The question now is, have their attempts to smear Hillary Clinton been effective? A recent Gallup Poll has tried to answer that question. It was conducted between June 1st and 4th of a random nationwide sample of 1,529 adults -- with a margin of error of 3 points. This poll, illustrated in the chart above, shows that Clinton's popularity has dropped a little -- from a high of 66% last year to 58% now.
But her numbers are still strong, and much better than those of any possible GOP candidate at this point. Only 39% now view her negatively -- giving her a positive difference of 19 points. This positive to negative difference is also verified by a different poll -- the NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll (taken between May 30th and June 2nd of 1,000 adults -- and with a margin of error of 3.1 points). In that poll, Clinton has a positive difference of 18 points.
The Republicans still have a long way to go to knock Clinton off her lofty perch. I think any national politician in the country would love to trade his/her numbers for those of Clinton.
