Benghazi isn't sinking Hillary Clinton's presumed presidential campaign
Patrick Smith / Getty Images


For nearly two years, Republicans have sought to fault Hillary Clinton for the Benghazi embassy attack and taint her presumed presidential campaign before it even begins. Yet that effort appears to have had little to no impact on the former secretary of state's reputation so far, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
In the survey, half of Americans say they disapprove of how Clinton handled the attack. But at the same time, six in ten still approve of her entire tenure in the Obama administration; 67 percent say she's a "strong leader," while robust majorities believe she has fresh ideas for the nation's future and that she understands the problems facing average folks. And Clinton continues to dominate not only a hypothetical Democratic primary field, but to post solid leads over every potential GOP challenger thrown her way, too.
In other words, Benghazi hasn't soured the public on the idea of a Clinton presidency. It may have rubbed off some of Clinton's erstwhile sheen — her poll numbers are down slightly from their astounding highs of a few years ago — but it has not proven to be the game-changer Republicans had hoped it would be.
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Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
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