Secretary of State Hillary Clinton enjoys her highest favorable rating among U.S. residents since joining the Obama administration, Gallup said Thursday.
Clinton also was viewed more positively than President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden in the latest Gallup poll, results indicated.
Gallup said Clinton's favorable rating of 66 percent is one percentage point shy of her all-time high rating, which came after the House of Representatives impeached President Bill Clinton on charges of perjury related to the Monica Lewinsky and Paula Jones investigations, matters that garnered public sympathy for the then first lady.
Clinton's positive rating topped positive ratings for Obama, who got a 54 percent favorable rating; Defense Secretary Robert Gates, whose favorable rating was 52 percent; and Biden, who tallied a 46 percent favorable view, the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said.
Clinton has strong popularity among women, particularly women age 50 and older, Gallup said. She also has the support of a solid majority of independents and 40 percent of Republicans.
Results are based on nationwide telephone interviews conducted with 1,027 adults Friday through Sunday. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.
