A recent national poll by Harvard University suggested that Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden are among the most disliked politicians in America.
Former senator and failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton led the pack in unfavorability, with 53% of respondents saying they disliked her. Inversely, only 37% claimed they had a favorable impression.
Current President Joe Biden was close on Clinton’s heels, garnering a 52% unfavorable opinion. However, he earned a higher favorability rate, with 41% of respondents saying so.
Biden’s running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris, also ranked high on the unfavorability meter, with 49% of people having a negative view of her. Fewer people had a favorable view, at just 39%.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) also had a 49% unfavorability rate compared to a 26% favorability rate. Fewer people knew who McConnell was compared to Clinton, Biden, and Harris.
The most recent former president and vice president did not fare much better than the current administration. Views of Donald Trump were 48% unfavorable to 45% favorable, while Mike Pence fared worse at 45% negative to 38% positive.
Both Trump and Pence are competing in a crowded field for the 2024 Republican Party presidential nomination.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie scored a 43% unfavorable rating and only 27% favorable, while 37% viewed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis poorly compared to 43% favorably. Other GOP candidates, like Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy, generally had lower favorable and unfavorable rates, but fewer people recognized their names.
On the other side of the aisle, Biden faces primary challenges from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson. Both candidates enjoy low unfavorability scores (RFK Jr. 25%, Williamson 24%), but only 17% had a positive view of Williamson, while RFK Jr. equaled Trump with a 45% favorability rate.
Only 70% of respondents said they had heard of Kennedy, significantly lower than Biden’s or Trump’s recognition.
The poll was conducted by the Harvard Center for American Political Studies and Harris Insights and Analytics among 2,090 registered voters, which was a nationally representative sample.
The organizations explained, “Results were weighted for age within gender, region, race/ethnicity, marital status, household size, income, employment, political party, political ideology, and education where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population.”
