Mainly, with nine points down, support for Clinton has now dipped under 50% for the first time since polling on the presidential race began. Her favorability rating has also switched to the negative for the first time in her campaign, with 44% holding a favorable view, and 53% an unfavorable one.
By contrast, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has jumped up in the polls by ten points since July, holding the second place in the Democratic race at 29%. Sanders’ level of support is still short of the 47% support Clinton enjoys, but the poll does intimate a shift in the electorate.
Over the past month, Sanders has boosted his ratings significantly, with 35% of adults and 58% of Democratic voters saying they have a positive image of him. That brings the self-described socialist and presidential hopeful up from the 23% favorability among adults and 36% among Democratic since July.
However, Clinton continues to maintain a lead as the most trusted candidate among democrats in dealing with four top issues: the economy, race relations, foreign policy, and income gap. Of these issues, the difference in support for Clinton and Sanders is smallest in regards to income gap, with the Vermont Senator trailing behind by only 7 points.
The overall poll results also show that more people, at 37%, believe Sanders would do a worse job as president than Clinton, with only 31% saying he would do better, and 22% saying there would be no difference. But the numbers change significantly among the more liberal voters, with 41% saying Sanders would be a better president and 34% saying otherwise.
Findings of the CNN/ORC poll also indicate that Clinton’s Democratic nomination may in large depend on whether or not Joe Biden decides to join the race. Biden currently holds a 14% support rate, and about 50% of those currently supporting Clinton believe he should run for president. However, if the vice president decides against running, the majority of his supporters will likely shift to Clinton, boosting her numbers up to 56%.
