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POLITICS

39% Blame Outside Factors for Clinton's Loss

In the aftermath of one of the most stunning electoral upsets in U.S. history, Democrats have been searching for reasons why their candidate Hillary Clinton lost to Republican Donald Trump. Most voters agree it was the candidates themselves who decided the election, but a sizable number blame Clinton's loss on outside factors, primarily the FBI’s pre-election announcement that it was reopening its investigation of her.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 43% of Likely U.S. Voters believe the most likely reason Clinton lost the election was the weakness of her candidacy, while another 13% think it was due to the strength of her opponent. Thirty-nine percent (39%), however, say she lost because of outside factors beyond her control. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

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The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on December 12-13, 2016 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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