Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is in trouble in three swing states, according to several polls released Wednesday from Quinnipiac University. The polls found Clinton trailing behind three top Republican primary contenders for the presidency, including two nominees from Florida: former Gov. Jeb Bush and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
The survey polled likely voters in Colorado, Iowa and Virginia.
Quinnipiac found Clinton receiving negative favorability ratings in each state polled. In Colorado, she had a 35 percent to 56 percent favorability rating, 33 percent to 56 percent in Iowa and 41 percent to 50 percent in Virginia.
"Hillary Clinton's numbers have dropped among voters in the key swing states of Colorado, Iowa and Virginia. She has lost ground in the horserace and on key questions about her honesty and leadership," Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University poll, said.
Brown also noted Clinton was in trouble for being a top contender for the presidency in 2016.
"On being a strong leader, a key metric in presidential campaigns, she has dropped 4 to 10 points depending on the state and she is barely above 50 percent in each of the three states," he explained.
Brown also said Clinton was on the wrong side of three too-close-to-call match-ups and was trailing in six.
Quinnipiac conducted a similar poll in April which found Clinton was ahead in five match-ups with different candidates.
Some good news for Clinton is that more than half of voters in every state polled believe she is a strong leader, though her numbers trail slightly behind Bush.
What's troubling for Clinton is her comparison to possible candidate Joe Biden, who is said to be considering a run for the country's top position in 2016.
Voters in all three states polled found Biden much more honest and trustworthy than Clinton. The difference was highest in Virginia, where 39 percent of voters said they found Clinton honest and trustworthy. A much higher percentage (58 percent) said they felt the same about Biden.
Most voters also said they did not feel Clinton cared about their needs and problems, numbers which were all lower than Biden's.
Iowa's numbers in particular are problematic for Clinton, said Brown.
"Because Iowa is the scene of the first caucus, Iowa voters are exposed to the presidential campaign more and much earlier than those in any other state, with the possible exception of New Hampshire," Brown said.
"The large drop in Secretary Clinton's favorability in Iowa, from a split 45 perent to 47 percent in Quinnipiac University's April 9 survey to a big negative 33 percent to 56 percent today, has to be worrisome for her," he continued.
The July 9-20 Quinnipiac University polls surveyed 1,231 Colorado voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percentage points; 1,236 Iowa voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percentage points, and 1,209 Virginia voters with a margin of error of +/- 2.8 percentage points.
See the full results here.
