Hillary Clinton was the favorite of Wisconsin Democrats in a straw poll this weekend — but not by much.
She drew the support of fewer than half of the 511 delegate votes cast for the party’s presidential nomination at the Wisconsin Democratic Party convention this weekend, and held a slim win over Democratic primary challenger Bernie Sanders.
Clinton had 252 votes, or 49% support, while the Vermont senator drew 208 votes, or 41% support, according to WisPolitics.com. Vice President Joe Biden and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who launched his bid last month, each took 3% support.
Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ campaign manager, touted the poll and sizable crowds at Sanders’ rallies as evidence that the candidate’s message is resonating with voters.
“The Wisconsin straw poll and huge turnouts at town meetings in New Hampshire and Iowa are sending a message that people care about real issues like income inequality and the collapse of the American middle class,” he said in a statement.
It’s a striking finish for Clinton, who, with sizable leads in every national poll of the race, is seen as the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee.
But since buzz about her expected bid began earlier this year, scrutiny of her record and personal finances has grown and contributed to a steady decline in her standing in the polls. A CNN/ORC poll released earlier this month showed Clinton’s favorability rating at 46%, while 50% of those surveyed said they view her unfavorably — her lowest marks in 14 years.
That survey, however, still found her leading the Democratic primary pack with 60% support, while Biden came in a distant second with 14% and Sanders took just 10% support. And Clinton adviser Joel Benenson recently dismissed the suggestion that Clinton’s popularity is plummeting in an interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
“I take all of these public polls with a grain of salt,” Benenson said.