A new Quinnipiac University national study indicates Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has even higher favorable poll ratings than President Barack Obama, CNN reported.
The survey, conducted from Jan. 30 to Feb. 4, according to CBS News, indicates that 61 percent of registered voters have a favorable opinion of Clinton, putting her ahead of both Obama and Biden - and a handful of Republican candidates - in that category. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 2.3 percentage points, CBS reported.
But Clinton has done better before. That 61 percent favorability rating is slightly lower than the results of two recent surveys - one by ABC News/Washington Post, and another by NBC News/Wall Street Journal. Both of those polls were conducted last month, prior to Clinton's testimony over the deaths of the U.S. Libyan ambassador and three other Americans in a terrorist attack on Benghazi, CNN reported. In her testimony, according to CNN, she took responsibility for the deaths, but repeatedly distanced herself from a direct role in specific situations.
Out of the respondents who viewed Clinton favorably, according to CNN, 45 percent were pleased with her because of her job performance, experience and competence.
"Among those with an unfavorable opinion, 21% cite the Benghazi controversy," according to a release from Quinnipiac University.
There are two caveats, though. The poll reveals a clear partisan divide - more than nine in 10 Democrats and six in 10 independents view Clinton favorably, but only 27 percent of Republicans have a favorable view of her, CNN reported.
Many have wondered if Clinton plans to make a second bid for president, but last week at a global town hall, she said, "I'm not thinking about anything like that right now," according to CNN.
But she added, "I am lucky because I've been very healthy. I feel great. I've got enormous amounts of energy that have to be harnessed and focused, so I'm very fortunate. I'm looking forward to this next chapter in my life, whatever it is."
One polling experts believes Clinton's favorable ratings may be a result of the fact that she's not running for office right now.
"One reason why Hillary Clinton's ratings are high may be that she is not running for office and held a position that many Americans view as non-partisan. If she becomes an active candidate again, it would not be surprising to see her numbers decline," CNN Polling Director Keating Holland told CNN. "We saw this before with her. When she was first lady, her favorable ratings were often in the high 60′s, but they dropped below 50% as soon as serious talk started of her running for the U.S. Senate from New York."
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