Poll: 'Liar' Most Frequently Associated Word With Hillary Clinton

The latest national poll asks voters to play word association.

ByABC News
August 27, 2015, 4:44 PM
Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Jeb Bush, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Getty Images| AP Photo| Getty Images

— -- "Crook," "weak," "joke" are just a few of the words that voters said when Quinnipiac University asked them the first word that pops into their heads when they think of Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump and Jeb Bush.

Quinnipiac asked 1,563 voters and reported only the words that were said at least five times.

So what do voters really think of the 2016 presidential frontrunners? Here are the answers:

Hillary Clinton – ‘Liar’

Clinton can’t shake the reputation that she’s hiding something.

The word “liar” was mentioned 178 times in association with Hillary Clinton. Some of the other top words voters said to describe the former Secretary of State were “dishonest,” “untrustworthy,” and “criminal.”

The two issues the GOP argues why Clinton’s unfit to hold office - “Benghazi” and “email” – topped the list as well. Also, her husband’s first name, Bill, came up 56 times by voters.

The poll shows Clinton is still leading among Democratic voters, but is down from 55 percent in late July to 45 percent today, with Bernie Sanders gaining on her. 34 percent of voters say Clinton is honest and trustworthy.

Donald Trump – ‘Arrogant’

“Arrogant” was said 58 times for Trump -- who’s still leading the GOP pack with 28 percent support. Other words were “blowhard,” “idiot,” and “clown.” Other words pointed to Trump’s successful career when he’s not out on the campaign trail -– “businessman,” “rich,” and “money.”

Jeb Bush – ‘Bush’

Bush can’t escape his family name.

As much as Bush insists he is his own man and tries distancing himself from the two former presidents in his family, voters think otherwise. Ironically, “Bush” is the top word that 136 people related to the former Florida governor. Voters also frequently answered “family,” “brother,” “George” and “dynasty” when asked to say immediately what comes to mind when they think of Jeb Bush.

“War” –- mostly likely referring to the Iraq War -– was brought up 10 times. “Weak” was also mentioned 45 times. In today’s national poll, Bush is tied with Republican Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio for 7 percent of support.

Other Notable Answers

A few profanities were mentioned for Clinton and Trump. “Hair” was also mentioned eight times for Trump. Bush was associated with the word “boring” 10 times.

It wasn’t all bad; voters did connected some positive words with these three candidates.

Clinton was hailed as “qualified,” “strong,” and “intelligent.” Trump was thought of as “bold,” “interesting,” and “successful.” Most likely given that Trump has never held office before, voters also associated the word “change” with Trump. For Bush, “honest” was mentioned 73 times, along with “nice” and “trustworthy.”