Voters say Hillary Clinton untrustworthy: Poll

The former first lady, who was in statistical dead heat with Obama in a March poll by the magazine, has thus lost much ground within a month.

Even more devastating for Clinton was that a majority of all registered voters now see her as dishonest and untrustworthy and analysts say that could be reason for her plummeting numbers.

In the survey conducted among 1209 registered voters, just four in 10 (41 per cent) viewed her as honest and trustworthy, while 51 per cent thought otherwise.

This compares with solid majorities of voters who see Obama and presumptive Republican candidate John McCain as honest and trustworthy (both polled 61 per cent).

The results suggest that Clinton, the New York Senator, was damaged more by being caught in a tall tale about landing in Bosnia under sniper fire than Obama has been by his recent controversies, including the firestorm of criticism provoked by his remarks that blue-collar voters “cling” to religion, guns and other issues because of their bitterness.

In addition, over half (53 per cent) of voters say they believe Obama shares their values, more than those who say the same thing about Clinton (47 per cent) or McCain (45 per cent).

The poll also indicates that both Obama and Clinton have been harmed by the fierce attacks they have aimed at each other.

While Obama has a 57 per cent favourable rating among all voters in the latest survey, that represents a 4 per cent drop from March, his unfavourable rating has jumped from 28 per cent to 36 per cent.

Clinton is viewed favourably by just 49 per cent, compared to 56 per cent in March, while 47 per cent view her as unfavourable compared to 40 per cent in the previous poll.

McCain has also suffered a setback: his favourable rating has dipped to 52 per cent from 55 per cent, while his unfavourable rating has increased to 42 per cent from 35 per cent.

But there were a few bright spots in the new poll for the Clinton campaign. Among all registered voters, including Republicans, she did about as well as Obama against McCain.

Obama bests McCain by 4 points (48 per cent to 44 per cent), and Clinton also wins by 4 points (47 to 43 per cent). Neither lead is considered statistically significant. However, in a race against McCain, Obama gets more independent support than Clinton does.

Another positive sign for Clinton is that nearly half (46 per cent) of Democratic voters don’t think the super delegates – party leaders and elected officials – should adhere to the overall results of the primaries and caucuses but should support whichever candidate they feel is best qualified.

This is the argument of Clinton who stresses on her electability and Obama’s vulnerabilities.

Another 38 per cent want these party leaders and elected officials to support the popular vote winner, and just 12 per cent want them to base their vote on the pledged delegate count.

Even among Obama supporters, there is a high level of support (41 per cent) for letting the super delegates make their own choice.