Hillary Slides in the Polls

In the days prior to her ongoing email scandal, Hillary Clinton’s standing in the prospective Democrat nomination polls was as strong as ever with well over 50% of Democrat voters approving.

But as one would expect, the two-week-old story that shows no signs of going away soon is starting to take its toll. The questions that remain are where the bottom is for her and whether the dip is opening enough for a strong competitor.

According to CNN’s latest poll released Monday, Hillary’s favorability slid to 53%, down from its high after the November midterm elections at 59%. The number marks her lowest approval rating in 2008.

What may come as a surprise, however, is that her numbers actually improved since last year among respondents who indicated that they would be ‘proud’ if Hillary were president. Specifically the number increased by seven points, up from 50% this time in 2014.

But whether that number might have been much higher in the absence of the email scandal is worth asking. After all, the poll also revealed that Hillary’s unfavorability among the same 1,009 respondents was at a dangerous 44%.

But according to the Washington Post, her decline in the polls was inevitable, and analysts for The Fix argue that the email scandal has merely been the catalyst for what would have happened anyway.