Don't really like either...

Both Parties’ Presidential Front-Runners Increasingly Unpopular 

Hillary Clinton shows steep decline in past month; Donald Trump is candidate in either party viewed most negatively 

By Janet Hook

Both parties’ presidential front-runners are growing increasingly unpopular, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds, with  Hillary Clinton showing an especially steep decline over the past month.

Among voters in both parties, 56% hold a negative view of Mrs. Clinton and 32% hold a positive view. That 24-point gap is almost twice as wide as in a Journal/NBC poll last month, when 51% viewed her negatively and 38% positively, a 13-point gap.

GOP front-runner  Donald Trump continues to be the candidate in either party viewed most negatively, with 65% of registered voters viewing him unfavorably and 24% favorably, a 41-point difference. Unlike with Mrs. Clinton, those numbers haven't changed much over the past month.

Sen.  Ted Cruz of Texas, Mr. Trump’s nearest competitor for the Republican nomination, has an image problem of his own. Nearly half of voters see him in a negative light, while 26% view him positively.

The entire field of candidates, on both sides of the aisle, suffers a popularity deficit: Not one is regarded favorably by more than 50% of registered voters.

The candidate with the least baggage is Ohio Gov.  John Kasich, who also is the least well known. Some 31% of registered voters view him favorably and 19% view him unfavorably; 31% are neutral, and 19% don’t know him or aren't sure.

Sen.  Bernie Sanders, Mrs. Clinton’s Democratic primary foe, also has more fans than detractors: 45% of voters viewed him positively and 36% view him negatively.

Mrs. Clinton’s decline came during a month in which she has been hit by an intensifying barrage of attacks, not just from GOP candidates but from Mr. Sanders, who has won a string of victories in primaries and caucuses.

The candidates are viewed more favorably within their parties. Among Democrats, Mrs. Clinton is viewed more favorably than unfavorably. Some 63% have a positive image of her, while 20% have a negative image.

Mr. Trump is viewed favorably and unfavorably in equal measure among Republicans, with 42% seeing him in a positive light and 42% in a negative light.

Mr. Cruz is viewed favorably by 45% of Republicans and unfavorably by 27%.

While some establishment Republicans dream of the party nominating House Speaker  Paul Ryan of Wisconsin as an alternative to Messrs. Trump and Cruz, he might not be a strong general election candidate. The poll found that 28% of registered voters view him negatively and 26% positively.

The survey of 1,000 registered voters was taken April 10-14 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.