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HARRISBURG, Pa. -- In the weeks before the Pennsylvania primary, Sen. Hillary Clinton not only lags Sen. Barack Obama in the race for delegates, she also is losing ground in her effort to convince voters that she is trustworthy.
The debate over her record has left Sen. Clinton confronting her lowest approval rating since April 2006, according to a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released last week.
According to the survey, 29% of the approximately 1,000 respondents said they had a very negative opinion of Sen. Clinton compared with 15% for Sen. Barack Obama and 12% for Sen. John McCain, the likely Republican nominee.
A Pew Research survey released last week shows 29% of Democratic voters describe Sen. Clinton as "phony," compared with 14% for Sen. Obama.
For more than a year, the Clinton campaign has tried to burnish Sen. Clinton's image, and early last month, the strategy appeared to be paying off. A stronger approval rating helped Sen. Clinton score victories in the Ohio and Texas primaries, though Sen. Obama picked up more delegates in Texas.
The New York senator suffered a setback last week when she admitted to overstating the danger she had faced on a 1996 trip to Bosnia as first lady. The incident sparked allegations that she had exaggerated her role on other issues, such as the Northern Ireland peace process, opposing the North American Free Trade Agreement and bringing health insurance to children.
Everhart Flenory, 67, a retired steelworker in New Kensington, Pa., said he used to be a Clinton supporter but plans to vote for Sen. Obama in the state's April 22 primary. "I've lost all my love for the Clintons," Mr. Flenory says. "Why'd she have to lie?"
Clinton campaign image maker Mandy Grunwald and Ann Lewis, head of women's outreach, are working to re-establish voters' trust in Sen. Clinton, campaign aides say. In a new online video entitled "Help us show our strength," Clinton supporters share testimonials, and Sen. Clinton delivers a message, thanking voters for their confidence.
The campaign is also trying to shift focus away from recent debates over Sen. Clinton's record and toward the economy, an issue many voters say she more firmly grasps than Sen. Obama. Monday, Sen. Clinton held an economic roundtable in Harrisburg, and she talked about a tax-cut plan for the middle class at an event in Fairless Hills, Pa., near Philadelphia.
She also laid out a plan calling for stricter regulation of Wall Street investment banks, broader consumer protection on credit cards and student loans and additional measures to curb the foreclosure crisis.
Pennsylvania is a must-win state for Sen. Clinton, who is behind in the race for delegates. Sen. Obama leads in the overall delegate count, with 1,623 to Sen. Clinton's 1,499, according to the Associated Press. About 2,025 are needed to win the nomination.
"We've always said from the beginning of the race that our challenge is to change the perception a lot of people already have," Clinton campaign spokesman Mo Elleithee said.
Some observers said the Clinton campaign has a tough road ahead.
"The problem is not that she exaggerated her record; the problem is she exaggerated her record and she's Hillary Clinton," said Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic political consultant who worked for former President Clinton.
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