What’s the first word that comes to mind when Americans think of Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders?
For Clinton, 21 percent said “dishonest/liar/don’t trust her/poor character,” according to a Gallup poll released on Tuesday. For Sanders, 12 percent said “socialist,” which comes as no surprise after the Vermont senator has promoted his brand of “democratic socialism” throughout the campaign. Six percent described Sanders as “older” or “aged.”
Americans’ overall negative responses to Clinton, which totaled 51 percent, outweigh the positive reactions, at 29 percent. But 7 percent still said Clinton is “capable of being president/qualified,” and 5 percent said she is “experienced” when they first hear Clinton’s name.
Sanders received slightly more positive than negative associations with his name — with 26 percent positive and 20 percent negative. Some negative reactions thrown at Sanders were “crazy/delusional/idiot/unrealistic” (4 percent) and “unfavorable” (4 percent). Three percent of those surveyed also continued to mention Sanders’ ideology describing his as a “communist.”
