Hillary Clinton’s email server is why this race is even close

Donald Trump is gaining ground on Hillary Clinton in the polls. Or perhaps more aptly, Hillary Clinton is losing ground.

While Trump’s image hasn’t improved appreciably for months — and he remains the most unpopular presidential nominee in modern history — Clinton continues to see her own image decline. It’s now at its worst point ever and, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll of registered voters, basically as bad as Trump’s.

And the reason is clear: The email story is absolutely killing her — and ruining what might otherwise be a coronation.

A new CNN/ORC poll demonstrates it pretty clearly. While polls at the start of the 2016 race showed Americans were basically split about whether her use of a private email server gave them pause about voting for her, it’s now clear that it’s a significant hurdle for a strong majority of Americans in voting for Clinton.