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ByLisaLererandEmily Swanson TheAssociatedPress WASHINGTON Inanyother election year, more than half the country holding an unfavorable impression of a candidate for president would be cause for alarm. This is not a normal year. Fifty-five percent of Americans say they have a negative opinion of Demo- cratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in the latest AP-GfK poll. But that's not nearly as bad as how they view the leading candidate for the Republican nomination, Donald Trump. His unfa- vorable rating stands at an unprecedented 69 percent. The negative feelings for bothareaharbingerofagen- eral election contest that's shaping up to be less about voters supporting the can- didate of their choice, and more about their picking the one they dislike the least. "I don't really feel like ei- theroneisthattrustworthy," said Devin Sternadre, 26, a student from northeastern Ohio. "Most of the elections that have happened in the past I've felt strongly about a candidate, and I just don't this time. "But yeah, if it was held today I guess I would vote Clinton,"hesaid,withadeep sigh. "I just wish there were more choices." Democratic strategists say Trump's deep unpopu- larity has alleviated some of their concern over views of Clinton. While 55 percent of Americans have a "some- what" or "very" unfavorable impressionoftheformersec- retary of state, that's about the same number as those who have a "very unfavor- able" opinion of Trump. Clinton's rating is also slightly better than Repub- lican candidate Ted Cruz: Fifty-nine percent say they have an unfavorable view of the Texas senator. Clinton's Democratic primary rival, Bernie Sanders, is at just 39 percent unfavorable, but he trails far behind Clinton in the delegate battle for the Democratic nomination. As the campaign moves toward the general elec- tion, Democrats argue, the dynamic will shift from be- ing a referendum on Clin- ton's character to a choice between her and a Republi- canopponent.IfthatRepub- lican is Trump, Democrats see an opportunity to unify their own party behind Clin- ton and make inroads with independents and Republi- cans. Nearly half of all regis- tered voters say they would at least consider voting for Clinton, far more than say they are open to voting for Trump. Sixty-three percent say they definitely wouldn't vote for Trump in a general election. Thirty-eight percent say they definitely would not vote for Vermont Sen. Sand- ers. Even in more historically conservativeSouthernstates, whereTrumpswepttheGOP primaries, voters are some- what more likely to say they would at least consider Clin- ton. Half say they are open tohercandidacy,and39per- cent to his. Voters are more likely to have a positive opinion of Clinton's primary rival, Ber- nie Sanders, with only 38 percent saying they would definitely not vote for the Vermont senator. Lara Robles, a Republi- canfromRoundRock,Texas, said she would back Clinton, even though she has been surprised to find her views aligned with Trump on a number of issues. "I think she flip-flops on a lot of her views, but I would vote for Hillary," said the mother of three. "I just don't really like him as a person. I think he doesn't have a filter on his mouth." Clinton is not held in very high regard among the general public. Most Ameri- cans view her as not partic- ularly compassionate, hon- est or likable. They have mixed feelings on her civil- ity, decisiveness and com- petence. Half of all Americans say Clinton is "not at all" hon- est, with another 18 percent saying she's slightly honest. That number mirrors views on Trump, with more than seven in ten saying the word honest describes him only slightly or not at all well. But on the other attri- butes, Clinton's negative ratings are at least better than the overwhelmingly disapproving views Amer- icans have of Trump. More than half say Clin- ton is not especially com- passionate, and six in 10 say she's only slightly or not at all likable. Eighty percent do not find Trump compas- sionate and three-quarters do not see him as likable. "What I want in a pres- ident is someone who wouldn't cause trouble for the country. I think Donald Trump would," said Steve Fantuzzi, a 54-year-old reg- istered Republican in the Chicago suburbs. "Hillary's OK. I don't have a problem with her." And unlike Trump, members of Clinton's party largely like her. More than 7 in 10 Democratic voters have a favorable opinion, compared to 53 percent of Republicans who have a positive view of Trump. Just 17 percent of Dem- ocratic voters say they wouldn't vote for Clinton in the general election, about the same share as wouldn't back Sanders should he win the nomination. Thirty-one percent of Republicans say the same about Trump. POLL Cl in to n li ka bl e en ou gh — n ex t to T ru mp KEITHSRAKOCIC—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE Hillary Clinton speaks in Pittsburgh. By Julie Bykowicz and Steve Peoples The Associated Press LAS VEGAS Ted Cruz has hundreds of influential Re- publican donors and Jew- ish leaders all to himself this weekend in Las Vegas as he addresses the Repub- lican Jewish Coalition. Cruz's rivals for the GOP presidential nomination, Donald Trump and John Kasich, declined invita- tions to attend — a puz- zling move in particular for Trump as he tries to project himself as a party unifier who deserves the Republican nomination even if he falls short of winning enough delegates in the primaries to clinch it outright. Trump had no clear scheduling conflict, with no public events this week- end until a Rochester, N.Y. rally Sunday afternoon. It's a "missed opportu- nity" for Trump to build on a well-received recent speech before the Amer- ican Israel Public Affairs Committee, said Abbie Friedman, an RJC board member who introduced Trump when he spoke to the Republican group in December. "With Cruz coming in, he'll have the entire platform to himself to win support from an in- credibly powerful and im- portant group." The RJC is funded by the top political donor of 2012, Sheldon Adelson, and meets at the billionaire's Venetian casino resort on the Strip. Trump declined an invi- tation to attend a private dinner at Adelson's home Thursday night with the Republican Jewish Coali- tion's board, according to people with direct knowl- edge of the invitation who weren't authorized to share the details about the event. Trump decided not to at- tend the dinner even before he canceled a West Coast trip that he'd planned for Thursday and Friday. Trump's spokeswoman and his campaign manager did not respond to requests for comment. The Republican front- runner does not appear to be sending surrogates to Las Vegas, either, as one- time presidential candi- date Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker did last year. "That, to me, is a real revelation into the weak- ness of his campaign," said Ari Fleischer, another RJC board member who has said he would back any GOP nominee in the gen- eral election. "There should be someone here on the ground. That's what good campaigns do." In addition to speak- ing Saturday to more than 500 attendees, Cruz has a separate, smaller event planned with RJC mem- bers. His chief Jewish li- aison, Nick Muzin, will be there throughout the con- ference. And pro-Cruz out- side groups that can take unlimited contributions are setting up shop in the Venetian this weekend, ready to land donations. "There's a lot of inter- est in hearing from Ted Cruz in light of his win in Wisconsin and the im- pact that has on re-shap- ing the race," said Republi- can Jewish Coalition exec- utive director Matt Brooks. "It's all coming together at a crucial juncture." Brooks said some of his organization's members no longer see Trump as the overwhelming front- runner and predict a con- tested convention this summer. PRESIDENTIAL RACE Cruz builds support among GOP Jews as Trump skips event (530) 527-1000 visit us at: www.redbluffroundup.com Likeusonfacebook RODEO AMERICA'S ORIGINAL EXTREME SPORT! APRIL 15, 16, 17, 2016 1921 ~ 2016 95 TH FAMILY 4 PACK $40 Plus$1.00processingfee each ticket | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2016 6 A