Word association game brings bad news for Clinton

The most common buzzword that comes to mind when people think about Hillary Clinton is “emails,” according to a survey released by Gallup on Wednesday.

In verbatim responses collected from 750 U.S. adults familiar with the former first lady, 329 gave some variation of “email,” including “email scandal” and “private emails” in response to the mention of her name. An additional 83 also mentioned “server.”

{mosads}References to the controversy surrounding Clinton’s use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of State were the top response even among Democrats, although Republicans were all the more likely to allude to the furor.

The survey suggests that Clinton has not been able to shift the focus onto other campaign issues or policy proposals.

The word association survey was conducted Aug. 24 to Aug. 30, before several developments in the email controversy took place.

A review of the server, reported on Sept. 8, found that it hosted two emails marked “top secret,” the nation’s highest classification of government intelligence, which contained information about North Korea’s nuclear program.

A Sept. 1 report found the server contained spy satellite data on North Korean nuclear assets.

Clinton has also apologized for her use of the server since the survey was conducted.