Clinton slipping in Iowa, trails Paul, new poll shows

DES MOINES - As voters wait for Hillary Clinton to announce her plans for the 2016 presidential race, her lead over potential Republican rivals is slipping away in Iowa and two other key swing states.

In head-to-head matchups, every Republican candidate effectively ties her in Colorado and almost all Republicans effectively tie her in Iowa. Only in Virginia does the former secretary of state hold a commanding lead, according to a Quinnipiac University Poll released this morning.

Her overall favorability has dropped in Iowa and voters say she is not honest and trustworthy. At the same time, Quinnipiac found favorability ratings for the Republicans are lackluster, at best.

Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac poll, said it's hard to see the slippage as 'anything other than a further toll on her image from the furor over her email.

'Voters do think she is a strong leader - a key metric - but unless she can change the honesty perception, running as a competent but dishonest candidate has serious potential problems,” he said.

He called Clinton's slippage from Quinnipiac's mid-February poll 'ominous” for Clinton.

'It isn't just one or two Republicans who are stepping up; it's virtually the entire GOP field that is running better against her,” Brown said.

And running best against her at the moment is Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who officially entered the race earlier this week, Brown said. He leads Clinton in Iowa and Colorado, but she leads in Virginia.

In Iowa, every GOP hopeful is tied or close to Clinton and Paul leads her 43 percent to 42 percent. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee ties her at 42 percent.

Clinton leads New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie 41 to 39 percent, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush 41 to 39 percent and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker 44 to 40 percent.

'Iowa epitomizes the image of a swing state,” according to Brown. 'When Hillary Clinton is matched against seven of the GOP hopefuls, all of those mythical matchups have a difference of four percentage points or less.”

By a 49 to 43 percent margin, Iowans say Clinton is not honest and trustworthy. Voters are divided 50 to 49 percent on whether the email scandal is important to their vote. Although 37 percent of voters say they are less likely to vote for Clinton because of this issue, 58 percent say it will make no difference in their vote.

Iowa voters give Clinton a split 45 to 47 percent favorability rating, down from 49 to 40 percent February 18.

Favorability ratings for the Republicans are:

Negative 27 to 39 percent for Christie

Negative 31 to 38 percent for Bush

35 to 29 percent for Paul

41 to 31 percent for Huckabee

25 to 24 percent for Walker with 50 percent who don't know enough about him to form an opinion

24 to 21 percent for Rubio with 54 percent who don't know enough about him

Negative 26 to 31 percent for Cruz

From March 29 to April 7 Quinnipiac University called landlines and cellphones to survey 948 Iowa voters with a margin of error of +/- 3.2 percentage points.

For more information, visit www.quinnipiac.edu/polling.

l Comments: (319) 398-8375; james.lynch@thegazette.com