After Dems debate, voters say Clinton most electable

AP-GFK POLL

After Dems debate, voters say Clinton most electable

The Associated Press

Democrats appear to be rallying around Hillary Rodham Clinton after her command performance in the party’s first presidential debate, with strong majorities viewing her favorably and more saying she can win the White House than any of her rivals, a new Associated Press-GfK poll shows. The survey released Tuesday finds that Clinton has regained traction in the 2016 primary contest following a summer slump, with nearly 8 in 10 Democrats saying they have a positive opinion of her. That’s a slight uptick for Clinton, eight points better than the last time the question was asked in an AP-GfK poll in July.

To the extent that there is a desire for an alternative to Clinton in the Democratic field, the poll found that Vice President Joe Biden appeared more able to provide it than the insurgent campaign of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Nearly 7 in 10 Democrats said they had a favorable view of Biden, who has spent months weighing whether to jump into the race and on Wednesday decided against it.

Only about half of Democrats say that about Sanders.

Sanders isn’t necessarily unpopular among Democrats, but the longtime political independent is still not well known. A third said they don’t know enough about him to have a favorable or an unfavorable opinion.

It’s not just Democrats who view Clinton as a possible winner. Three quarters of Americans think Clinton could win in a general election, including two-thirds of Republicans.

By comparison, 56 percent of Americans thought Biden could win and just 44 percent think Sanders could claim the White House.

Meanwhile, less than half of Americans said they think any of the Republican candidates for president could win in a general election.

Among Democrats, 9 in 10 think it would be possible for Clinton to win if she were the nominee.

Democrats are split on whether Sanders could win the election, with 52 percent saying he could and 46 percent saying he could not.

The gains for Clinton come after months of enduring criticism for her use of a private email account and server while serving as President Barack Obama’s first secretary of state.