Voters described presidential candidates with one word - and the results were brutal
The results were quite illuminating.
- The top word associated with Hillary Clinton is "liar".
- The top word associated with Donlad Trump is "arrogant".
- The top word associated with Jeb Bush is "Bush".
The results come from Quinnipiac University survey which polled fifteen hundred people.
Of those polled, 178 used "liar" for Clinton. After that, they were most likely to say "dishonest" (123) and then "untrustworthy" (93). The first positive words didn't appear until the No. 4 term, "experience" (82), and the No. 5 one, "strong" (59).
The poll asked both Democratic and Republican voters about candidates of both parties and it's not surprising that many of the top responses would be critical.
However, the results could be a sign that Clinton's detractors have a clearer and more widespread narrative against her than Clinton's supporters have on her behalf.
The poll's results could also be worrisome for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's (R) campaign.
The top words named by voters focused on Bush's family, suggesting that he has yet to complete his quest to separate himself from his brother and father, who both served as president. Many political veterans believe former President George W. Bush could be a particular problem for Jeb Bush because he spearheaded the controversial US invasion of Iraq in 2003.
The top terms voters said came to mind to describe Bush were "Bush" (136), "family" (70), "honest" (53), "weak" (45), "brother" (41), and "dynasty" (40).
But real-estate mogul Donald Trump, the third candidate tested by Quinnipiac, drew by far the most colorful expressions. The most-used word, "arrogant," was only deployed 58 times, followed by "blowhard" (38), "idiot" (35), "businessman" (34), and "clown" (34).
Further down on the list were insults like "crazy" (26), "a--hole" (18), "joke" (16), and "egomaniac" (13), among others. Positive terms like "honest" (30), "strong" (20), and "leader" (15) were also relatively common.
View the three lists of word-association responses below.
Donald Trump:
arrogant 58
blowhard 38
idiot 35
businessman 34
clown 34
honest 30
ego 29
money 29
outspoken 28
crazy 26
rich 26
showman 23
strong 20
asshole 18
joke 16
loud 16
leader 15
pompous 15
bombastic 13
egomaniac 13
loudmouth 13
racist 13
big-mouth 12
aggressive 11
buffoon 11
unfavorable 11
braggart 10
brash 10
flamboyant 9
narcissist 9
truthful 9
bold 8
change 8
funny 8
hair 8
jerk 8
smart 8
ignorant 7
interesting 7
non-politician 7
successful 7
untrustworthy 7
ass 6
business 6
favorable 6
go-getter 6
moron 6
mouth 6
obnoxious 6
opinionated 6
power 6
unqualified 6
American 5
bully 5
entertainment 5
fool 5
greedy 5
loose-cannon 5
megalomaniac 5
nuts 5
ridiculous 5
scary 5
selfish 5
sleazy 5
unpredictable 5
winner 5
Hillary Clinton:
liar 178
dishonest 123
untrustworthy 93
experience 82
strong 59
Bill 56
woman 47
smart 31
crook 21
untruthful 19
criminal 18
deceitful 18
Democrat 16
intelligent 15
email 14
politician 13
Benghazi 12
corrupt 12
crooked 11
capable 10
determined 10
good 10
leader 9
murder 9
qualified 9
trustworthy 9
bitch 8
competent 8
phony 8
president 8
cheat 7
deceptive 7
honest 7
scandal 7
sneaky 7
ambitious 6
arrogant 6
brilliant 6
dependable 6
fair 6
sec-of-state 6
thief 6
confident 5
corporate 5
dedicated 5
devious 5
first-lady 5
lady 5
liberal 5
unqualified 5
Jeb Bush:
Bush 136
family 70
honest 53
weak 45
brother 41
dynasty 40
experience 35
George 28
Florida 25
politician 24
republican 24
moderate 21
governor 20
establishment 16
conservative 14
father 14
legacy 13
nice 13
trustworthy 13
untrustworthy 12
decent 11
boring 10
competent 10
education 10
favorable 10
nepotism 10
war 10
idiot 9
immigration 9
unqualified 9
wishy-washy 9
corrupt 8
liar 8
mediocre 8
dumb 7
good 7
liberal 7
unfavorable 7
capable 6
fair 6
honorable 6
inexperience 6
leader 6
likable 6
RINO 6
crooked 5
entitled 5
incompetent 5
intelligent 5
loser 5
ok 5
questionable 5
smart 5
thoughtful 5
uncertain 5
wimp 5