Hillary comes out on top

PPP's new national survey looking at arguably the 5 most significant Democratic figures in the country finds Hillary Clinton as the most popular followed by Michelle Obama, then Bill Clinton, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama.

Here are the numbers:

Individual	Favorability	Net
Hillary Clinton	56/37	+19
Michelle Obama	52/37	+15
Bill Clinton	53/40	+13
Joe Biden	43/43	Even
Barack Obama	47/49	-2

Here are observations:

-Hillary Clinton is the most popular among Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike.

-85% of Democrats view her favorably, followed by 83% for Michelle Obama, 82% for Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, and 73% for Biden.

-21% of Republicans see her positively, followed by 19% for her husband, 18% for Michelle Obama, and 10% for Biden and Barack Obama.

-58% of independents view her favorably, followed by 57% for her husband, 53% for Michelle Obama, 44% for Barack Obama, and 41% for Biden.

-There still appears to be some residual unhappiness from the 2008 primary season toward Bill Clinton by black voters. 23% of them see him unfavorably compared to 16% for Biden, 13% for Michelle Obama, 10% for Hillary Clinton, and 10% for Barack Obama. The good news for Hillary if she does make another try for the White House in 2016 is that any animosity toward her husband there is not rubbing off on her.

I'm sure some folks will look at these numbers and say Barack Obama should step aside for Hillary Clinton to run in 2012 but it's a lot easier to maintain a high level of popularity as Secretary of State than President and it's very debatable whether her numbers would be so good if she was actually the one in the White House. Nevertheless it's a good sign for her looking to the future that her numbers are strong even during a pretty difficult period for the Democratic Party.

Full results here

Comments

[Russ]

Wow. Extraordinary.You are actually equating Approval (which is what you are using with the President) to Favorable/Unfavorable numbers (which is what you are using for everyone else).I dont even know what to say to that.Unbelievable.

[The Interesting Times]

Im sure some folks will look at these numbers and say Barack Obama should step aside for Hillary Clinton to run in 2012 but its a lot easier to maintain a high level of popularity as Secretary of State than President and its very debatable whether her numbers would be so good if she was actually the one in the White House.This is true, but is it really relevant to the Obama vs. Clinton question?I think electability would be a much bigger concern. Can Obama win in 2012? Can Clinton do it if he cant? Those questions are still very much up in the air two years before the next Presidential election.

[Chuck T]

bottom line is these popularity polls are fun and good snapshots in time and may affect the 2010 election, they dont fortell the future. If the economy picks up steam in the next two years (as is likely) and unemployment begins to go down then like Ronald Reagan (whose popularity went down into the 30s during the 82-83 recession) and Bill Clinton (who was at one point down to 36%)Obama will make a big comeback in the polls. What I find fascinating is that even with the tough economy and nearly 10% unemployment most polls give Obama an average of 45% approval rating and in actuality that has been remarkably stable for months (give a dip here or there). I think that says something about Obamas overall appeal in that he is weathering this recession/slow recovery as well as he is.

[Anonymous]

Hillary is extraordinary smart and beautiful, agreat human being.HILLARY 2012!Mario

[Dustin Ingalls]

Do you have a breakout for the Hispanic voters?As always, if you simply click on the full results we link to, and scroll down, you will find the answers youre looking for. A caveat for a group as small as Hispanics (or even blacks): the margin of error is higher, and youll find some flukey results from poll to poll.

[Anonymous]

If these number were reverse, then thats saying Hillary would have DONE everything Obama would have done. And thats over-stretching the mandate the American people gave him and the Dem Party. Sorry, shes too smart for that, and is surely not naive like this President.And her current position is because of international issues and foriegn policy, not domestic issues. Duh!

[yokem55]

Not to mention the photo-op with her between Netanyahu and Abbas while they shook hands was pure gold for her image as a stateswoman....

[Anonymous]

Do you have a breakout for the Hispanic voters?

[vp]

If Hillary were President and Obama Secretary of State, these numbers would no doubt be reversed. The great thing about Hillarys current position is that it has nothing to do with the economy.