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Story Highlights Clinton's favorable rating is 48%, her lowest since 2008 54% of Democrats prefer to have a competitive primary Still, 57% of Democrats want her as 2016 nominee

PRINCETON, N.J. -- Hillary Clinton's favorable rating from the American public currently stands at 48%, which is similar to her 50% reading last month, but is down from 55% last summer and from 59% a year ago.

Not only is this Clinton's weakest favorable rating of the past year, but it is the lowest since 2008 when she was competing in that year's Democratic primary elections. Prior to that, her favorable rating sank to 45% or lower at points between 2001 and 2003 when serving as U.S. senator from New York, and to 43% at one point in 1996 when she was first lady.

The latest rating comes from an April 3-4 Gallup poll, conducted roughly a month after Clinton began responding to criticism of her use of a private email server for official business while secretary of state and as news reports continued to indicate she was gearing up to announce her presidential candidacy. The previous result is from a March 2-4 survey, conducted prior to Clinton's March 10 press conference in which she vigorously defended her email practices.

Clinton Favorability on a Rollercoaster Ride

Gallup has been measuring Americans' views of Hillary Clinton for 23 years, ever since she rose to national attention along with her husband, Bill Clinton, during the 1992 presidential campaign. As her role has evolved from first lady to U.S. senator to presidential candidate to secretary of state and now back to potential presidential candidate, her image has fluctuated.

Notably, none of Clinton's past favorability troughs turned out to be permanent. After suffering declining ratings in her husband's first term, she enjoyed a steady recovery in the second, ascending to a 67% favorable rating, her highest, after he was impeached. Her appointment as secretary of state under newly elected President Barack Obama in 2009 catapulted her favorable score into the mid-60s, where it subsequently stayed throughout her tenure in that position.

Since stepping down as secretary of state at the start of 2013, Clinton has been a more politicized figure. In addition to the email controversy, Clinton's leadership at the Department of State has been a source of controversy for her, as the House of Representatives is conducting an investigation into the attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi in 2012. She is also a constant object of speculation about the 2016 elections.

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Clinton's Favorable Rating at 48%, But Dems Still Like Her