UNPOPULARITY CONTEST
SWING STATE STANDOFF
Trump, Clinton in N.H. dead heat – but two-thirds of voters don’t like either one!
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are deadlocked in the swing state of New Hampshire, but a stunning two-thirds of likely voters say they don’t like either of them, a new Franklin Pierce University/Boston Herald poll reveals.
Clinton and Trump are both getting 44 percent of the vote in a generalelection matchup, yet just a third of all voters have a favorable view of the two likely presidential nominees, according to the new poll.
The poll should cause some concern among Democrats who have counted on New Hampshire’s four electoral votes for the past three elections.
Clinton was trounced in the primary by Sen. Bernie Sanders and now appears vulnerable even against the widely disliked Trump.
The new poll also gives some ammunition to supporters of Sanders who say he would be a stronger candidate against Trump.
Clinton’s unpopularity in the Granite State is making the race a toss-up in a state where Republicans now hold only one major statewide office.
Just 35 percent of likely New Hampshire voters rate the former secretary of state favorably while 61 percent say they have an unfavorable view of her, according to the Franklin Pierce/Herald poll.
But Trump is faring just as badly — 34 percent have a positive view of him while 62 percent give him unfavorable marks.
The Franklin Pierce/ Herald poll of 405 likely New Hampshire voters was conducted from May 25-28 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percent.
The other hotly contested race in the Granite State, for U.S. Senate, is also dead even, with Republican incumbent Kelly Ayotte facing a tough challenge from Gov. Maggie Hassan.
Sanders meanwhile is far more popular in New Hampshire than the former secretary of state or the billionaire real estate and entertainment mogul, with 56 percent of likely voters saying they view him favorably and just 34 percent rating him unfavorably.
And 65 percent of Granite State Democrats say Sanders should stay in the race against Clinton despite her seemingly insurmountable delegate advantage.
The poll shows that voters’ dissatisfaction with the presidential choices is widespread among both Democrats and Republicans. Nearly one-third of voters who say they usually vote Democratic, but aren’t firmly committed now, aren’t happy with Clinton. Uncommitted voters who say they usually back Republicans are nearly as unhappy with Trump.
Independent voters are even more unhappy with both candidates, and 23 percent who haven’t committed yet to Trump or Clinton say they are waiting to see if a third-party candidate jumps into the race.
The Franklin Pierce/ Herald poll reveals a wide gender gap, with Trump beating the former first lady among men 55-35 percent, while Clinton whips Trump among women 5432 percent.
With so many voters unhappy with both candidates, the poll indicates the race in New Hampshire will be volatile heading into the fall.