Questions over Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while serving as U.S. Secretary of State have diminished voters’ views of the former First Lady in three swing states, including Pennsylvania, a new Quinnipiac University Poll has found.
Clinton’s favorability rating fell from 55 points in a February poll to 48 points in March.
Her ratings have fallen so much that one potential GOP nominee, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, tops her 45 to 44 in a hypothetical matchup — though that result still falls within the margin of error.
“A red flag in blue state Pennsylvania,” is how assistant poll director Tim Malloy described the results. “Hillary Clinton, seemingly invincible before the email scandal, ends up tied with Rand Paul.”
Quinnipiac University pollsters surveyed voters in three so-called swing states whose electorate could influence the outcome of the presidential election. Since 1960, no candidate has won the presidency without winning two out of the three.
In Florida, former governor Jeb Bush tops Clinton by a margin of 45 to 42. She beats all other Republicans in hypothetical matchups in that state, though Sen. Marco Rubio is within the margin of error.
Ohio voters favor Clinton over all potential Republican candidates. The nearest potential rival is Paul, who Clinton would beat 46 to 41 if the election were held today.
In Pennsylvania, Clinton tops all Republican challengers but Paul.
A majority of voters in each state say that Clinton still has questions to answer about her emails. More than half, however, say that a congressional investigation into the emails would be politically motivated rather than “justified.”
The poll was conducted between March 17 – 28. More than 1,000 voters were interviewed in each state.
