WASHINGTON — The sky-high approval ratings of Hillary Rodham Clinton have come down to earth since she left the State Department — and her response to the attack on the US Embassy in Benghazi may be to blame.
The former secretary of state now holds a still-healthy favorable/unfavorable rating of 52 percent-40 percent, a Quinnipiac University poll has found.
Back in February, her popularity was at an astronomical 61-34, helping fuel chatter that she was once again the “inevitable” Democratic nominee for president.
But her favorability has “taken a hit,” said Peter Brown of Quinnipiac. “One reason for her drop may be that 48 percent of voters blame her either a little or a lot for the death of the American ambassador in Benghazi.”
Her popularity has dropped among men, Republicans and independents.
Republicans in Congress have turned up the pressure on her concerning Benghazi, particularly since the release of e-mails show the State Department striking early information about terrorism from White House “talking points.”
In potential 2016 presidential matchups, Clinton beats GOP Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, 49-41, and tops former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, 48-40.