A new poll shows former U.S. Secrtary of State Hillary Clinton, the favorite for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016, is losing ground in the key swing state of Florida.
Clinton still leads most of her Republican rivals in Florida, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released on Tuesday, but voters have concerns over her using a personal email account during her time at the State Department.
"The good news for Hillary Clinton is that the e-mail controversy has not done huge violence to her presidential chances, said Peter Brown, the assistant director of the Quinnipiac poll, on Tuesday. But the matter is taking a toll on the former secretary of state's public image.
Only 33 percent of those surveyed think Clinton has given satisfactory answers on the email matter while 56 percent say questions remain. More than half -- 51 percent -- say this is an issue of great or some importance while 47 percent think it has no or little importance.
Half of those surveyed-- 50 percent -- think Clinton is not honest and trustworthy while 41 percent think she is. Despite that, 62 percent think she has strong leadership qualities while 35 percent dont think she does. More than half of those surveyed -- 52 percent -- approve of her time at the State Department while 44 percent do not.
Despite this, 48 percent of Florida voters oppose a congressional inquiry into the matter while 47 percent back one. More than half of those surveyed -- 54 percent -- think a congressional inquiry would be politically related while 41 percent say it would be justified.
Matched up against some of the leading candidates, the poll shows Clinton is in for a fight in Florida. Former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., has taken the lead over Clinton in the Q-poll, beating her 45 percent to 42 percent. U.S.Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., does slightly worse with Clinton edging him 46 percent to 44 percent. U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., also runs within the margin of error though Clinton leads him 46 percent to 43 percent.
Clinton fares better against some of the other Republican hopefuls, beating Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., 44 percent to 39 percent and Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wis., 46 percent to 40 percent. Against former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., Clinton leads 48 percent to 40 percent. Clinton does best against U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, beating him 48 percent to 39 percent.
Despite the email controversy, Clinton is above water in the Sunshine State with 49 percent seeing her as favorable and 46 percent as unfavorable. Bush is seen as favorable by 47 percent and unfavorable by 42 percent. Rubio is less well-known but 42 percent see their senator in a favorable light while 38 percent see him in an unfavorable one.
Huckabee moved to Florida after his 2008 presidential bid but only 33 percent see him as favorable while 32 percent view him as unfavorable. Paul is treading water with 31 percent seeing him as favorable and the same percentage of voters viewing him as unfavorable.
Cruz is upside down with only 24 percent seeing him as favorable while 31 percent view him as unfavorable. Christie is in the worst shape in Florida with 44 percent seeing him as unfavorable and only 30 percent viewing him in a favorable light.
Bush and Walker, widely considered the two top Republican candidates at this time, are seen as better on ethics than Clinton. More than half of those surveyed -- 54 percent -- see Bush as honest and trustworthy while 32 percent say that about Walker. Only 35 percent say Bush is not honest and trustworthy while 24 percent say the same of Walker.
Almost two-thirds of those surveyed -- 65 percent -- see Bush having the qualities of a strong leader while 27 percent say he doesnt. More than a third of those surveyed -- 36 percent -- say Walker has the qualities of a strong leader while 24 percent say he lacks them.
The poll of 1,087 Florida voters was taken from March 17-28 and had a margin of error of +/- 3 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
