http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/206317-poll-more-than-half-of-us-approves-of-hillary-clintonMay 16, 2014, 10:53 am
Poll: Most in US approve of Clinton
By Rebecca Shabad
A majority of people in the United States approve of Hillary Clinton, according to a new poll.
A Reuters/Ipsos survey released Thursday found 57 percent of people who are aware of Clinton have a favorable opinion of her. Forty-three percent, by contrast, view her negatively.
Nearly a quarter of Republicans also said they have a favorable view of Clinton.
The potential 2016 Democratic presidential contender has strong name recognition, with 96 percent of respondents saying they’re aware of her.
But among those respondents who viewed her negatively, “Benghazi” was the most common term mentioned when explaining their disapproval.
Republicans are probing the administration's handling of the deadly terror attack in Libya that killed four Americans during Clinton's tenure as secretary of State.
"Strong," however, was the term people used the most to describe Clinton.
More than half said they view Clinton as an effective leader, and 62 percent said she knows how to connect with voters.
The poll comes as Clinton's qualifications for a White House bid came under fire last week after Karl Rove raised questions about her age and health. The Republican strategist suggested that she may have suffered brain damage after a fall in 2012 that led to a blood clot in her head.
One of Clinton’s spokesmen shot back and said she is “100 percent.”
Clinton has not yet declared a run for the presidency, but is considered the Democratic front-runner if she chooses to launch a campaign.
Ipsos polled 1,518 adults online from May 11 to 15 with a 2.9 percentage point margin of error.