They may not have a vote, but majorities in both countries are familiar with the former US Secretary of State and think a Clinton presidency would be good for the world
Britain is in the middle of an election of its own, but Hillary Clinton’s announcement that she is running for president still made the front pages of four major UK newspapers this month. Clinton, who is America's former top diplomat, also received messages of support from the foreign ministers of France and Germany. Recent polls suggest Clinton is the overwhelming favourite for the 2016 Democratic nomination, and she leads her potential Republican opponents in head-to-head match-ups.
YouGov's latest polling confirms that Clinton is very well-known in Europe, especially compared to some of the Republicans who want to be America's next commander-in-chief. She is also very well-liked.
In Britain, 61% have a positive opinion of Clinton, against only 20% with a negative one – and virtually no one (just 1%) say they have never heard of her. Compare that to Florida Senator Marco Rubio, whom only 11% have an opinion about – only 4% more than express an opinion about “Andrew Farmer”, a fictional politician included for comparison.
40% people do express an opinion about Jeb Bush, though it’s overwhelmingly negative (35% to 5% positive), and much of that probably has to do with his last name. George W. Bush, Jeb's older brother, is not popular in Britain.
In Germany, the picture is very similar. 59% see Clinton in a positive light, 24% in a negative one, and most have no opinion of the Republicans in the poll. As in Britian, more Germans have an opinion of Jeb Bush than other Republicans, and opinion trends strongly negative (27% to 7% positive)
People in both countries also widely say Clinton would be good rather than bad for the world and for the United States.
However, that’s not to say British and German people think she would be a better US head of state than the politician who defeated her in the 2008 Democratic primary, Barack Obama. In Britain, 19% say she would be a better president, 17% say worse and 43% say she would be about the same. In Germany, 14% say better, 24% say worse and 47% say about the same.
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