Elections

Swing State Polling Shows Tightening Race, With Clinton Still In The Lead

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Alex Pfeiffer White House Correspondent
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A mixed bag of swing state polls were released Thursday showing a tight race that favors Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Colorado

Two polls were released from the battleground Thursday, both showed Clinton leading by varying margins. A poll from Colorado Mesa University/Rocky Mountain PBS showed Hillary ahead of Donald Trump by seven percent, and one from Quinnipiac University showed her ahead by two percent.

In the Quinnipiac poll, Clinton has 44 percent, Trump is at 42 percent, Gary Johnson is at 10 percent, and Jill Stein is at 2 percent. That same poll a month ago had Clinton ahead 41 percent to Trump’s 33 percent.

The poll shows Trump leading among independents, 42 percent to 33 percent. However, Clinton has stronger party unity in Colorado, 93 percent of Democrats back her while only 84 percent of Republicans support Trump.

In the CMU/Rocky Mountain PBS poll, Clinton is at 41 percent, Trump follows with 34 percent, Johnson is at 12 percent, and Stein gets 3 percent. Unlike most polls, this one shows Clinton leading among white men, 34 percent to 31 percent.

As usual, Trump leads among non-college graduate whites 40 percent to 22 percent. The poll shows voters have a better perception of Clinton on a myriad issues, including experience and ability to protect the U.S against terrorism. The two candidates are tied when it comes to changing government policies in a way that would better the voter.

The Quinnipiac poll was conducted between Sept. 13 and Sept. 21 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percent. The CMU/Rocky Mountain PBS poll was conducted from Sept. 14 to Sept 18. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 6.3 percent.

Virginia

Two polls also came out of the Old Dominion state Thursday, both showing Clinton with a strong lead, but less than the double-digit one she held a month prior.

A Quinnipiac University poll has Clinton ahead with 45 percent, Trump at 39 percent, Johnson at eight percent, and Stein with one percent. Just as in Colorado, Trump leads with independents, but Clinton benefits from stronger party unity.

“Virginia is a good example of how Hillary Clinton’s multi-racial coalition is operating. She is ahead 45 – 39 percent in Virginia overall. She only gets 32 percent of white voters, including 23 percent of white men, but her 70 percent of non-white voters puts her ahead,” Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll said.

A Roanoke College poll has Clinton at 44 percent among likely voters, Trump at 37 percent, Johnson at eight percent, and Stein at one percent. Nine percent of likely voters were undecided in the poll. Clinton was ahead by 16 percent in this same poll a month ago.

Voters in the Roanoke College poll viewed the economy as the most important issue. Trump was viewed as the best candidate to handle this issue, 48 percent to 32 percent.

The Roanoke College poll was conducted over telephone between Sept. 11 and Sept 20. It has a margin of error of plus of minus 3.4 percent. The Quinnipiac University poll was conducted from Sept 13. to Sept. 21 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percent.

Florida

A Florida poll was released Thursday showing Trump keeping his slim lead in the Sunshine State.

The Suffolk University poll shows Trump as 45 percent, Clinton at 43.6 percent, and Johnson at 3 percent. The poll found that 56.4 percent of voters felt “alarmed” about the election, while just 24.2 percent were excited.

One finding in the poll that bodes well for Trump is 56.4 percent of voters have felt less safe in America in the past five to 10 years. The poll found that terrorism/national security and the economy were the top two issues, respectively.

The Suffolk University poll was conducted between Sept 19. and Sept 21. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent.