Hillary Tops "Anti" Candidate Poll

A new poll finds Hillary tops the list of candidates Americans most want to keep out of the White House:

Forty-percent of Americans said they would vote against Clinton, a New York Democrat, according to a Fox 5-The Washington Times-Rasmussen Reports poll.

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"Hillary Clinton is better known than any (other) presidential candidate on either side. She has a lot of people who love her and a lot of people who hate her" said pollster Scott Rasmussen.

Sixty-four percent of Republicans and more than half of adult men under 40 said they would use their vote against Clinton, the poll found.

Giuliani drew the strongest opposition from Democrats, with 30 percent saying they would vote to bar him from the presidency, according to the poll.

According to the Washington Times, the dislike for Hillary is generational:

While Mrs. Clinton performed poorly among most demographics, younger male voters were particularly cold. More than half of the adult men younger than 40 said they would use their vote to keep Mrs. Clinton from returning to the White House.

"If you look at the age breakdowns, younger people are more likely to put Clinton at the top of the list than older" people, Mr. Rasmussen said.

Mrs. Clinton performed best among older females, highlighting her strength but also pointing to the inroads Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, her chief rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, has made with younger voters.

"I think that's some of the generational change you're seeing Obama tap into," Mr. Rasmussen said.

The Anti Hillary poll results come out as Reuters reports on the importance of "likeability" in presidential elections:

Candidates trumpet their voting records, their experience and their strong principles. But unless they pass a basic test of likeability, their chances of making it all the way to the White House are slim.

[. . .]

"Image is extremely important. Issues always come in a dismal last," said Saint Louis University political science professor Ken Warren.

It can't be good for Other polls have found Hillary is more likely to polarize voters than other candidates and that people who dislike her are prone to hold that opinion strongly.

Hillary was asked about her "likeabilty Monday at the Antique Car Museum in Coralville, Iowa

“I know a lot of people" the questioner began "they just, for some reason don’t like you,” he said. “I like you,” he added quickly. But what could she do about all the rest?

The questioner wasn't convinced by Hillary's lengthy long-winded response:

“I’m leaning toward Obama,” he said after the event. The 25-year-old from Iowa City said he’d been to two Clinton events now, two Obama events and had seen Edwards once.

Yes, he does “like” the Senator. He wasn’t just saying that to be nice.

But he worries that she might not be electable if too many other people simply don’t like her.

“It does sway me,” Dickey said.

It ought to sway most Democrats.