A new Quinnipiac poll released Thursday found that 53 percent of U.S. voters believe former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is dishonest and untrustworthy, but she still dominates among Democratic voters and beats out a number of potential Republican challengers.
While only 39 percent said Clinton is honest and trustworthy, most voters still think she would be a strong leader.
Sixty percent of respondents said Clinton has strong leadership qualities, while 37 percent disagreed. Voters were divided 48 to 47 on whether Clinton cares about their needs and problems. Among Democratic voters, 84 percent said they think Clinton cares about their problems, while 42 percent of independents said the same.
If the Democratic primary were held today, Clinton would win by a long shot. Fifty-seven percent said they would vote for Clinton, while 15 percent preferred Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and 9 percent said they would vote for Vice President Joe Biden.
Clinton also leads when matched up head-to-head against nearly every Republican presidential potential. Clinton leads Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky by 4 points, 46 percent to 42 percent, and leads Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida by 4 points, 45 percent to 41 percent.
"Can you get low marks on honesty and still be a strong leader? Sure you can," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. "Hillary Clinton crushes her democratic rivals and keeps the GOP hoard at arm's length."
She also leads the following Republicans:
- 46 - 37 percent over New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie;
47 - 40 percent over former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee;
47 - 37 percent over former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush;
46 - 38 percent over Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker;
48 - 37 percent over Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas;
- 50 - 32 percent over business magnate Donald Trump.
Quinnipiac polled 1,711 registered voters between May 19 and 26, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points. Among the sample of 748 Democrats, the margin of error is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.
