Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is struggling in Colorado, according to an early poll released Wednesday.
Clinton lags behind leading Republican candidates, including Scott Walker, who has the greatest advantage, leading Clinton 47 percent to 38 percent. Marco Rubio leads Clinton 46 percent to 38 percent, and Jeb Bush edges her 41 percent to 36 percent.
The nonpartisan Quinnipiac University poll shows Clinton with a negative favorability rating in Colorado, just ahead of Republican candidate Donald Trump. Clinton stands at 35 percent favorability, compared with 56 percent of voters who don’t favor her, according to the poll. Trump, who had the worst favorability rating for any candidate, Democrat or Republican, garnered only 31 percent favorability in Colorado, compared with 58 percent who don’t favor him.
Clinton shows similar ratings in other swing states, including Iowa and Virginia.
The results show Clinton sinking in Colorado compared with an April 9 Quinnipiac University poll, in which she was ahead in five matchups and too-close-to-call in another four.
Sixty-two percent of Colorado voters said they didn’t consider Clinton to be honest and trustworthy in the latest poll, while 52 percent said she is a strong leader.
“Do Colorado voters trust Hillary? No, they do not. Do they think she cares about their needs? No, they do not,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll. “So, the door is open to a GOP candidate voters can believe in.”
Meanwhile, Democratic underdog Bernie Sanders did as well as, or better than Clinton, against Rubio, Bush and Walker.
A spokesman for Clinton’s campaign did not return a call left by The Durango Herald seeking comment.
But Clinton supporters point out that Quinnipiac has struggled with polling in Colorado in the past. Pollsters last year had Gov. John Hickenlooper trailing Republican challenger Bob Beauprez by 10 points. Hickenlooper went on to defeat Beauprez 49 percent to 46 percent less than two months later. The pollsters also failed to accurately predict the 2012 presidential election in Colorado.
Clinton supporters suggest that the methodology of the poll is off, highlighting a need for more input from Democrats and Hispanic voters. And they add that national polling has Clinton leading Republican opponents.
