Combat terrorism

Poll: More Americans trust Clinton than GOP contenders to combat terrorism

By Nick Gass

When it comes to terrorism, more Americans trust Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton than the top Republican candidates in the field, according to the latest results of an ABC News/Washington Post survey released Monday. But among those who worry most about terrorism, Donald Trump is the preferred candidate.

The former secretary of state's largest advantage overall comes against Ben Carson, taking 49 percent to 40 percent among the more than 1,000 adults surveyed in the days following the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris. Clinton also fared about as well matched against Donald Trump, taking 50 percent to the Manhattan mogul's 42 percent. Clinton also holds an eight-point lead over Cruz (48 percent to 40 percent), though former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio performed slightly better. Clinton held a 46 percent-to-43 percent advantage against Bush, and a 47 percent-to-43 percent lead over Rubio on the issue.

Among registered voters, however, the results bear out differently. Clinton's advantage is significantly less or nonexistent against top Republicans, with the exception of Trump, who has repeatedly said that he would relentlessly bomb the Islamic State in order to defeat it. About 50 percent said they preferred Clinton, while Trump earned the trust of 43 percent of voters on the issue. Other Republicans are either tied with or lead Clinton within the margin of error, most notably Bush, who came out ahead of Clinton, 46 percent to 45 percent among registered voters on terrorism.

However, 42 percent of Republicans and leaners in the same poll cited terrorism as the top issue of the 2016 election, compared to just 18 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. Issues related to the economy are of more concern to Democrats. Among the overall 28 percent who see terrorism as the top issue, 65 percent trust Trump, while just 35 picked Clinton in a head-to-head matchup.

Langer Research Associates conducted the poll from Nov. 16-19, surveying 1,004 adults nationwide by landlines and cellphones. The overall margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.