Poll: Bill Clinton having greater impact for Democrats than Obama

Former President Clinton could be helping Democratic candidates with his campaign stops more than President Obama is, a newly released Gallup poll found. 

Gallup recently asked registered voters if a Barack Obama or Bill Clinton campaign appearance on behalf of a candidate in their area would make them more or less likely to vote for that candidate. Among Democrats, Clinton received a net positive rating of 48 percentage points, six points higher than Obama's rating of +42.

But the gap widened among independent voters, who gave Obama a net negative rating of 27 percentage points: only 12 percent said that an Obama campaign stop would make them more likely to vote for the candidate, compared to 39 percent who said it would make them less likely to do so.

Clinton received a much lower net negative rating of 2 percentage points. Twenty-one percent said it would make them more likely to vote for a candidate and 23 percent said they would be less likely to vote for that candidate. 

The Gallup survey comes as Obama and Clinton are both planning to continue campaigning on behalf of candidates around the country two weeks before Election Day. 

Clinton, who was impeached in 1998, has been able to significantly rehabilitate his image since leaving the Oval Office in 2000. A July 2010 poll found that Clinton had eclipsed Obama in popularity. Likewise, Democrats have deployed Clinton, known as a top political strategist and speaker, to help stave off the large losses to their congressional majorities they are expected to endure on Nov. 2. 

Obama has also been very active on the campaign trail this cycle. This week alone, he plans to travel to Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada and Minnesota for events supporting senatorial and gubernatorial candidates as well as for party committee fundraisers. He has also headlined several highly-attended rallies intended to drum up enthusiasm among young voters who largely backed him in 2008.

But some vulnerable Democratic incumbents, such as Reps. Joe Donnelly (Ind.) and Bobby Bright (Ala.), have run against Obama and Democratic leaders in part due to their unpopularity in many swing districts. 

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has dismissed criticism from those candidates, saying "I just want them to win."

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