Politics & Government

Will Poway Change its Mind About Hillary Clinton in 2016?

A new poll, however, suggests things could be different in 2016, should the former Secretary of State choose to run again.

California voters wanted Hillary Clinton when she ran for president in 2008, but the people of Poway weren't completely sold. A new poll, however, suggests things could be different in 2016, should the former Secretary of State choose to run again.

"The current survey finds Clinton’s popularity in California to be as high now as it has ever been," stated the latest Field Poll, which found 56 percent of California voters have a favorable opinion of the Democrat. 

In 2008, then-Sen. Barack Obama edged Clinton in the Democratic presidential primary among Poway voters with 46 percent of the vote to her 45, though the latter carried the state. 

Now, only 30 percent of California voters have an unfavorable opinion of Clinton, a 12 percentage point drop since a poll taken just a few months before the state's 2008 Democratic primary. Half of state voters with no party preference—a growing share of Poway voters who since 2012 have been able to vote in Democratic primaries—like her, too.

Opinion hasn't completely shifted in her favor, though, which could hurt her in the general election.

"The only voter subgroups where significantly more voters view her negatively than positively are Republicans and conservatives," the poll stated. 

Most of Poway's registered voters are Republicans, and statewide the party's voters don't really like Clinton, with six out of 10 holding an unfavorable opinion of her. In December 2007, 77 percent of likely Republican voters felt the same way. 

That change is a plus for Clinton now, and the percentage of Poway voters identifying as Republican has decreased slightly since then, though the same is true for local voters identifying as Democrats. But with Clinton not making it to the 2008 general election, it's not clear whether she could have pulled the support of any Republican voters from a candidate in their own party.

How has your opinion of Clinton changed since 2008? Would you vote for her if she runs for president in 2016?


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here