Poll: A quarter of Republicans say they may vote for Clinton in 2016

CNN's Dan Merica

Washington (CNN) – If Hillary Clinton runs for President in 2016, a new poll finds she may have some support from an unlikely group: Republicans.
According to The Pew Research Center/USA Today poll, 8% of Republicans said there is a “good chance” and 17% said there was “some chance” they would vote for her in 2016. Seventy-four percent said there was no chance.

Since ending her tenure as Secretary of State early last year, Clinton, who has not said whether she’ll run, has been the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Previous polls showed Clinton as the top pick of Democrats and Tuesday’s survey was no different: 87% of Democrats said there was a “good” or “some” chance they would vote for her, if she ran.
Liberal Democrats are the most excited, according to the poll. Eighty-seven percent want to see Clinton run, while nearly seven-in-10 (69%) of conservative and moderate Democrats want the same.
Although Clinton, also a former first lady and U.S. Senator, has not said whether she’ll mount a candidacy, former campaign staffers and confidants have built a sophisticated apparatus urging her to do so.
The latest poll delivered insight into how Clinton’s time as America’s top diplomat is viewed by Americans.
According to the poll, 12% of those surveyed said Clinton’s time at the State Department was the most positive aspect of her long career.
That number, however, is overshadowed by the 15% of Americans who said the deadly terror attack in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012 was the most negative aspect of Clinton’s career.
That number jumps to 28 % among Republicans, who would be sure to make Benghazi a campaign issue if she launches a White House bid.
Some Republicans in Congress continue to push for answers for the attack that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, and don’t believe Clinton has been held fully accountable.
Despite concerns about Benghazi, the Pew/USA Today poll found that a majority of Americans saw Clinton as tough, honest and not hard to like.
Likability has long been an issue that Clinton aides and confidants have sought to work on.
When Hillary Clinton weighed whether to run for Senate before her husband left the White House,
aides coached her on how to interact with the public and press, according to recently released documents from the Clinton presidential library.
“Don't be defensive. Look like you want the questions,” wrote Mandy Grunwald, a former aide, in a July 6, 1999, memo to Clinton. Later, she added, “Look for opportunities for humor.”
The issue came up again in 2008, when Clinton squared off with Barack Obama in the race for the Democratic nomination.
During a January 2008 debate in New Hampshire, Clinton was asked why people didn’t seem to like her as much as Obama.
“He's very likable," Clinton said. "I agree with that. I don't think I'm that bad."
Obama’s now famous response: “You're likable enough, Hillary, no doubt about it.”
 

CNN