Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton leads the 2016 Democratic presidential field in the swing states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, but general election voters gave her poor marks on favorability and honesty and she fares worse against top Republican contenders than does Vice President Joseph R. Biden.
In Florida, Mrs. Clinton led the Democratic field with 43 percent, and Sen. Bernie Sanders and Mr. Biden were tied at 19 percent each, according to numbers from Quinnipiac University released Wednesday.
But voters overall gave Mrs. Clinton a negative 44 percent/51 percent favorable/unfavorable split and said by a 59 percent to 35 percent margin that she is not honest and trustworthy.
Mr. Biden, who is in the process of deciding whether to enter the race, had a positive 55 percent/32 percent favorable/unfavorable split, and 71 percent rated him honest and trustworthy.
In head-to-head match-ups in the Sunshine State against Republican candidates, Mrs. Clinton led businessman Donald Trump by 5 points, 46 percent to 41 percent; she led retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson by 2 points, 45 percent to 43 percent; she led businesswoman Carly Fiorina by 2 points, 44 percent to 42 percent; she trailed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush by 1 point, 44 percent to 43 percent; and she trailed Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida by 1 point, 45 percent to 44 percent.
Mr. Biden, meanwhile, led Mr. Trump by 14 points, 52 percent to 38 percent; he led Mr. Carson by 3 points, 45 percent to 42 percent; he led Mrs. Fiorina by 11 points, 49 percent to 38 percent; he led Mr. Bush by 4 points, 46 percent to 42 percent; and he led Mr. Rubio by 3 points, 46 percent to 43 percent.
SEE ALSO: State Dept. tells Hillary Clinton to search for more emails
In Ohio, Mrs. Clinton was at 40 percent among Democrats, with Mr. Biden at 21 percent and Mr. Sanders at 19 percent.
But voters overall gave her a negative 38 percent/56 percent favorability rating and said she is not honest and trustworthy by a 61 percent to 33 percent margin.
Mr. Biden had a 47 percent/40 percent favorable/unfavorable split, with voters saying he is honest and trustworthy by a 62 percent to 31 percent margin.
In head-to-head match-ups, Mrs. Clinton led Mr. Trump by 1 point 43 percent to 42 percent; she trailed Mr. Carson by 9 points, 49 percent to 40 percent; she trailed Mrs. Fiorina by 2 points, 43 percent to 41 percent; she trailed Mr. Bush by 2 points, 43 percent to 41 percent; and she trailed Mr. Rubio by 4 points, 45 percent to 41 percent.
Mr. Biden, meanwhile, led Mr. Trump by 11 points, 49 percent to 38 percent; he trailed Mr. Carson by 4 points, 46 percent to 42 percent; he led Mrs. Fiorina by 2 points, 44 percent to 42 percent; he led Mr. Bush by 9 points, 46 percent to 37 percent; and he led Mr. Rubio by 5 points, 46 percent to 41 percent.
In Pennsylvania, Mrs. Clinton’s support among Democrats was down from 45 percent in August to 36 percent now. Mr. Biden was at 25 percent, with Mr. Sanders at 19 percent.
Voters overall gave Mrs. Clinton a negative 41 percent/54 percent favorable/unfavorable split, and said she is not honest and trustworthy by a 61 percent to 34 percent margin.
Mr. Biden, meanwhile, had a positive 52 percent/35 percent favorable/unfavorable split, with voters saying he is honest and trustworthy by a 64 percent to 27 percent margin.
Mrs. Clinton led only Mr. Trump in Pennsylvania, by a 44 percent to 42 percent margin. Mr. Biden, meanwhile, led all the Republicans in head-to-head match-ups in the state except for Mr. Carson.
“Biden rumbles as Clinton stumbles. Undeclared but not underrated in his home state of Pennsylvania, Vice President Joe Biden makes a move on Secretary Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders,” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. “In tight races with Gov. Jeb Bush, Carly Fiorina and Sen. Marco Rubio, and crushing Trump, Biden makes a home state statement. And in a matchup with Hillary Clinton he’s riding high marks on trust and honesty and closing fast.”
Without Mr. Biden in the race, Mrs. Clinton’s margins over Mr. Sanders increased to 31 points in Florida (54 percent to 23 percent), 26 points in Ohio (52 percent to 26 percent), and 26 points in Pennsylvania (51 percent to 25 percent).
From Sept. 25 to Oct. 5, Quinnipiac University surveyed:
• 1,173 Florida voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points. The survey includes 411 Democrats with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.8 percentage points.
• 1,180 Ohio voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points. The survey includes 396 Democrats with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.
• 1,049 Pennsylvania voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. The survey includes 442 Democrats with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.7 percentage points.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.