Poll shows Americans not impressed with 2016 contenders

Despite the enthusiasm surrounding the presidential campaign roll-outs over the last few weeks, the American public is not impressed with its options for 2016.

A new poll from George Washington University found that among 11 politicians whose names are swirling around the early presidential field, none has a favorability rating above 50 percent.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner, came the closest, with 47 percent of likely voters viewing her favorably and 48 percent unfavorably, though 51 percent of respondents said they would not consider voting for her. These numbers are down considerably from 2013, just after she left her post as America’s top diplomat, when more than 55 percent of Americans saw her in a positive light.

But compared to other likely and announced candidates, Clinton is riding high.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a likely Republican candidate, boasts only a 35 percent favorability rating, with 48 percent of respondents viewing him unfavorably. Sixty percent of respondents said they would not consider voting for a third Bush president in 2016.

The other announced Republican candidates each had favorability ratings lower than Jeb’s, though, due to low name-recognition, a few were above water. Mike Huckabee boasted a 34 percent favorable to 33 percent unfavorable score, while Marco Rubio was found favorable by 31 percent of respondents compared to 30 percent who viewed him unfavorably.

Perhaps most discouraging for the early 2016 field, more than 50 percent of respondents said they would not consider voting for any of the 11 politicians named, which included announced candidates, as well as aspirants and influential politicians like Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

The pessimistic findings continued throughout the survey, which found that 69 percent of respondents believe the next generation will not be better off economically than the current one and that 65 percent of respondents believe that the country is on the “wrong track.”

The poll was conducted from May 3-6 among 1,000 registered voters. It featured a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.1 percentage points.