A majority of voters in three key presidential swing states view Hillary Clinton as not honest and trustworthy, according to a new poll out Wednesday.
The Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll finds that by margins of 8 to 14 percentage points voters in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania are skeptical of Clinton’s trustworthiness.
In Florida, 51% of voters hold the negative view of Clinton, compared to 43% who feel she is trustworthy. In Ohio, 53% of voters find Clinton not trustworthy, compared to 40% who do. And in Pennsylvania, 54% of voters don’t find her honest, while 40% do.
Compounding the possible issue for Clinton, being honest and trustworthy is also the top issue to voters in all three early states.
Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the poll, said that Clinton is experiencing a “continuing slide” with how she is “perceived by voters who continue to say she is not honest and trustworthy.”
Clinton’s early state honest and trustworthy numbers follow what a CNN/ORC poll released earlier this month found: 42% of Americans consider her honest and trustworthy, while 57% don’t.
The Clinton campaign has said that they don’t view public polling as reliable, but feel like Clinton’s numbers are dropping because she entered the political arena after spending four years as secretary of state, a job many see as above the political fray.
“I take all of these public polls with a grain of salt,” Joel Benenson, a top Clinton adviser, told CNN earlier this month.
Former President Bill Clinton has also rejected the idea that his wife his not trustworthy.
“I think that anybody who is still really close to their best friend from grade schools is by definition trustworthy,” Bill Clinton told CNN this month. “The people who know, know that.”
The Quinnipiac poll also finds voters in the swing states are split on Clinton and her Republican challengers.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio appears to be the best placed Republican to challenge Clinton. In Florida, his home state, Rubio gets 44% support compared to Clinton’s 47%. The senator get 41% to Clinton’s 45% in Ohio and 44% to Clinton’s 43% in Pennsylvania.
“It’s a long way until Election Day, but in the critical swing states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida has a tiny edge over the GOP field,” Brown said.