The implosion of Senator John McCain's presidential campaign is reflected in a new Rasmussen Reports survey showing that Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton has opened a nine-point lead over McCain, 47% to 38%. That’s Clinton’s biggest lead yet in match-ups with the Arizona Senator. Last month, Clinton led McCain by four points. Two months ago, McCain had a six point advantage over Clinton. That means McCain has lost a net total of fifteen percentage points over the past two months.

The survey also found that, for the first time, a plurality of American voters has an unfavorable opinion of the man once considered the GOP frontrunner. Forty-four percent (44%) now have a favorable view of McCain while 47% offer an unfavorable opinion. This latest decline is the continuation of a trend that has seen McCain’s favorables tumble from 56% in February to 49% in June and 44% today.

As recently as two months ago, McCain was running second in the polls for the Republican Presidential nomination. Currently, he is in fourth place, a point behind former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and fifteen points behind the frontrunner.

Among Republican voters, McCain is viewed favorably by 55% and unfavorably 40%. The new poll, conducted July 9-10, comes on the heels of a disappointing fundraising report for the McCain campaign, which precipitated steep cuts in staff and salary. The slew of bad news was capped by the sudden departure this week of several top campaign officers.

Senator McCain never really enjoyed the frontrunner status many predicted for him this election season. His close association with an unpopular President on hot-button issues like the war in Iraq and immigration kept him from gaining traction.

While Senator McCain’s prospects have been declining, Senator Clinton’s favorables moved up to 52%. In fifteen polls dating back to December, Clinton’s favorables have stayed in a very range from 47% to 52%. During the same period, her unfavorables have stayed between 46% and 51%. The former First Lady is the clear front runner in national polls for the Democrat Presidential Nomination. Clinton also leads in New Hampshire.

Rasmussen Reports continuously updates general election match-ups and other measures for all Republican and Democratic Presidential candidates. Also regularly updated are favorability ratings for Members of Congress, Other Political Figures, and Journalists along with public attitudes towards Congress, the War on Terror, and other topics.

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