I caution any reading of poll results in July as meaning too much. To me, it's interesting but hardly something to bet the bank on. But, interesting news in any case.
This just out at 6 a.m. Eastern Time from the Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll (yes, I'm farmer-like). It only covers Colorado, Iowa and Virginia:
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is behind or on the wrong side of a too-close-to-call result in matchups with three leading Republican contenders, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in Colorado, Iowa and Virginia, according to a Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll released today.
And:
In several matchups in Iowa and Colorado, another Democratic contender, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, runs as well as, or better than Clinton against Rubio, Bush and Walker. Vice President Joseph Biden does not do as well.
Part of the reason this needs to be taken with a grain of salt is matchups against any opponents on the clown-car side is completely irrelevant since the spectacle there changes daily.
That said, while I've said time and again that Bernie has a very very steep hill to climb to win the nomination, I've never bought the line that he is a weaker general election candidate than Hillary Clinton primarily for the very issue of honesty, integrity and authenticity which, whether people like it or not, is a factor in the way people decide; they just don't sit down and compare each person's ten-point plan.
However:
"Hillary Clinton's numbers have dropped among voters in the key swing states of Colorado, Iowa and Virginia. She has lost ground in the horserace and on key questions about her honesty and leadership," said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. "On being a strong leader, a key metric in presidential campaigns, she has dropped four to 10 points depending on the state and she is barely above 50 percent in each of the three states."
Underscore again: take for what you want. It's just one poll way far out.
FYI: The Essential Bernie Sanders and His Vision for America