Election 2016 Poll: Democratic Support For Hillary Clinton At Lowest Point Since 2012: Report

Democratic support for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has dropped to its lowest point since 2012, according to a Reuters poll. The online survey showed on Friday, though, that Clinton is still 20 percentage points above her nearest competition, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Reuters reported.

Reuters began polling Democrats in late 2012, and over the years Clinton’s likability has slowly eroded. The Reuters/Ipsos survey that took place over the past five days found Clinton’s support at 45 percent and Sanders’ at 25 percent, which is the smallest lead Clinton has had since polling began in 2012. Vice President Joe Biden, who has yet to decide whether he will enter the race, came in third place with 16 percent, up from 10 percent a month ago. A total of 494 of people who identified as Democrats took part in the poll, which has a credibility interval of plus or minus 5.1 percentage points.

The gap between Republican front-runner Donald Trump and his closest rival, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, is only slightly larger than the gap between Clinton at Sanders. Trump leads with 33 percent, followed by Huckabee, who jumped up to second place with 12 percent as of Friday, according to a survey of Republicans conducted by Reuters/Ipsos. Republican support for Jeb Bush dropped from 16 percent to 8 percent in the past week, Reuters reported on Tuesday, and he is now tied for third with Ben Carson. The results from the poll come from 511 Republicans surveyed and have a credibility interval of plus or minus 5 percent.

Clinton’s likability has taken a nosedive since a scandal regarding the use of her personal email during her time as secretary of state made headlines this spring and summer. Clinton, who had previously dismissed the scandal or joked about it, changed her tune on Wednesday at an event in Iowa when she acknowledged that she had made a mistake.

"My use of personal email was allowed by the State Department. It clearly wasn't the best choice,” said Clinton, CNN reported. “I should have used two emails -- one personal, one for work -- and I take responsibility for that decision.”