Hillary Clinton faces long odds in trying to win the Democrat presidential nomination for a second time, let alone the general election, according to a new McLaughlin and Associates survey.
Clinton, defeated by then-candidate Donald Trump in 2016, loses a rematch 51% to 41%, the McLaughlin poll found. That's only slightly better (51%-40%) than Vice President Kamala Harris would do against Trump.
The McLaughlin poll taken Jan. 13-18 also found that Trump defeats President Joe Biden 49% to 44% in a 2020 rematch.
"Buyer's remorse for President Trump is as strong as ever. President Trump dominates the potential GOP primary field," Pollster John McLaughlin told the Washington Examiner.
With Biden's approval rating in freefall, Clinton — who lost to then-candidate Barack Obama in the 2008 race for the presidential nomination — has been mentioned as a contender to lead the 2024 Democrat ticket. The former secretary of state recently has become more active on social media and in making public appearances.
"Based on her latest public statements, it's clear that Mrs. Clinton not only recognizes her position as a potential front-runner but also is setting up a process to help her decide whether or not to run for president again," Democrat political advisers Doug Schoen and Andrew Stein wrote in The Wall Street Journal.
"If Democrats want a fighting chance at winning the presidency in 2024, Mrs. Clinton is likely their best option."
McLaughlin poll results contradict that statement.
Biden has said he plans to run for re-election. In that scenario, Clinton receives just 7% of Democrat primary votes, the McLaughlin poll found.
Things aren’t much better for Clinton without Biden in the race. McLaughlin found that she has just 9% of the support of likely Democrat voters, the same as progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
Without Biden running, former first lady Michelle Obama (22%) and Harris (16%) perform much better than Clinton, according to the poll.
McLaughlin told the Examiner that Clinton is having trouble winning support from groups that backed her in 2016 and who are key to beating any Republican in a general election.
"The new hope of a revived Hillary Clinton gets beaten by Trump, 51% to 41%, with Trump beating her among independents, 52% to 37%; among suburban voters, 52% to 39%; and taking 19% among liberals, 13% among Democrats, and 10% of Biden 2020 voters," McLaughlin told the Examiner.
Trump, meanwhile, is the choice of Republican voters to run in 2024.
The McLaughlin poll found that the former president was backed by 70% of GOP voters, who want him to run again. If he does run, 81% of Republicans would vote for him.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.