Clinton at peak unpopularity — poll

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton gives an address on national security, Thursday, June 2, 2016, in San Diego, California. A poll showed Clinton as one of the most disliked politicians in the US. AP

WASHINGTON, United States — Hillary Clinton has never been so disliked by Americans. That’s according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll published Wednesday, a little more than two months before she faces voters at the ballot box.

Despite being ahead of her Republican rival Donald Trump in surveys on who should take the White House, this latest poll found that just 41 percent of Americans have a favorable view of Clinton, while 56 percent have an unfavorable one.

Those ratings are Clinton’s worst in the quarter century she has spent in public positions, though still ahead of Trump’s 35-63 split.

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Among registered voters, the two candidates have similar ratings.

Some 38 percent of registered voters had a favorable impression of Clinton, while 59 percent were unfavorable, compared to 37 percent favorable and 60 percent unfavorable for Trump.

Clinton and Trump are the most unpopular presidential candidates in modern US politics. The last recipient of that dubious distinction was George H.W. Bush, who had 53 percent unfavorable ratings during a 1992 Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Clinton’s image has taken a severe beating over the past month. Following the Democratic convention, Americans were almost even split between 48 percent favorable and 50 percent unfavorable.

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But renewed questions over her use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state, and others surrounding her family’s Clinton Foundation and its donors, appear to have worsened already negative opinions of her.

In a worrying trend for Clinton, support even dropped among groups that have historically supported her. She fell from 54 to 45 percent support among women, and from 71 to 55 percent among Hispanics.

With just 68 days to go before the elections, Clinton is five points ahead overall compared to Trump, with 42 percent support against 37 percent, according to a Real Clear Politics poll average.