A new CBS/New York Times Poll shows that current frontrunners Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have net negative ratings in double digits. CNN says that leaves “Trump and Clinton viewed more unfavorably than any front-runner for either party since 1984” — when CBS started the poll. Trump shows a net negative of -33 and Clinton has a net negative of -21. With Trump getting 57% unfavorable marks and Clinton 52% unfavorable, neither had a chance at positive territory. Trump’s mere 23% favorable and Clinton’s low 31% favorable gives them both big favorability deficits.
It’s notable that the last time CBS poll data showed a leading candidate at this juncture faring nearly as poorly was Bill Clinton in 1992. Clinton had a net negative 17 and just 24% favorable. He won, of course. Eight years before that Gary Hart had an astounding net positive of 30, with just a 7% unfavorable ranking. Hart went nowhere. Polls are sometimes monkey business.