A majority of voters in Nevada think it is unfair for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to collect $225,000 when she appears at a University of Nevada-Las Vegas foundation fundraiser in October, according to a new poll.
The hefty speaking fee has sparked outrage over the last month: some students at the university have called on the likely 2016 Democratic candidate for president to return the money, noting how tuition is going up 17 percent for students in Nevada.
Now a new poll from WPA Opinion Research — shared with The Daily Caller on Thursday — indicates that most voters in this crucial primary and general election state for presidential candidates agree that the fee is unfair to students.
Fifty-five percent of likely Nevada voters find it unfair while just 29 percent find the fee fair, according to the poll.
Voters were asked: “As you may have heard, UNLV has agreed to pay Hillary Clinton two hundred and twenty five thousand dollars to speak at a school foundation fundraiser. This comes even as tuition at the university has gone up seventeen percent. Do you believe the fee for Hillary Clinton to speak at UNLV is fair or unfair to UNLV students?”
The July 14 and 15 statewide survey conducted by WPA in Nevada consisted of 405 likely voters with a margin of error of 4.9 percent.
“The recent string of missteps from former Secretary of State Clinton have continued as she further alienates voters with her out-of-touch image management,” a memo from WPA Opinion Research states. “Clinton has irked voters in the critical swing state of Nevada with the exorbitant fee she is charging UNLV, especially in light of the recent increases in tuition students are being forced to pay.”
The speech is taking place Oct. 13 at The Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. “Since its inception in 1989, a distinguishing tradition of the Annual Dinner has been to showcase a keynote speaker,” reads a release from the UNLV Foundation.
CNN has reported that Clinton aides have pushed back on the criticism by noting that the speaking fee will go to the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation — and not to Hillary Clinton personally.
