None of the 2016 candidates are viewed favorably by a majority of Americans

The least unpopular candidate of the 2016 presidential race is Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio), who is also the least known — and, probably, least likely to get his party's nomination — according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. Kasich has a net favorability rating of +12, because only 19 percent of registered voters view him unfavorably. Thirty-one percent view him positively, another 31 percent are neutral, and 19 percent don't know who he is well enough to form an opinion. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is the only candidate getting more popular in the polls, as 45 percent view him positively and 36 percent negatively (+9).

None of the other candidates come close to 50 percent favorability, and Hillary Clinton had a big drop from the previous Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll in March. In the new poll, conducted April 10-14, Clinton is viewed negatively by 56 percent of voters and positively by 32 percent (-24), from a 51/38 split in April. Donald Trump is also slightly less popular, with 65 percent viewing him unfavorably and 24 percent favorably (-41), while Ted Cruz dropped to 49 percent unfavorable, 26 percent favorable (-23),

One difference between the parties is that Clinton is viewed favorably by 63 percent of Democrats, while only 42 percent of Republicans have a positive opinion of Trump and 45 percent say the same of Cruz. The poll included 1,000 registered voters and has a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up