Hillary Clinton maintains a lead over Donald Trump, but lagging interest among some of her supporters poses a potential turnout challenge for Democrats with less than nine weeks before Election Day, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Clinton holds a 46 percent to 41 percent edge over Trump among likely voters, followed by Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson at 9 percent and the Green Party’s Jill Stein at 2 percent. Clinton’s lead swells to 10 percentage points among the wider swath of registered voters, 45 percent to 35 percent, similar to her 45 percent to 37 percent edge last month.
The findings come at a time when the margins between Clinton and Trump have narrowed in some battleground states and when some national polls also have shown a tightening in the competition. Heading toward the first presidential debate on Sept. 26, though, Trump still appears to have the more challenging route to victory.
Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Both candidates’ reputations have been battered by the campaign, with more than 6 in 10 voters saying each candidate is not honest and trustworthy, and with majorities critical of Clinton’s ethics as secretary of state as well as Trump’s qualifications and his behavior toward women and minorities.
Asked about major campaign issues in the past month, almost 2 in 3 voters disapprove of Trump’s explanation of his policy for handling undocumented immigrants, while nearly 6 in 10 say Clinton granted special favors to donors of the Clinton Foundation.
Both candidates’ coalitions are united more by antipathy toward their opponent than enthusiasm for their own candidacy. Fewer than half of Trump’s supporters — 46 percent — say they are “very enthusiastic” about his candidacy, while that number drops to 33 percent for Clinton’s supporters. Meanwhile, 8 in 10 Trump supporters feel Clinton would do real damage to the country as president, while 83 percent of Clinton supporters feel the same way about Trump.
Trump’s supporters report greater interest in the campaign and voting, which could factor into turnout. More than 6 in 10 registered voters who support Trump say they are following the campaign very closely, and 93 percent say they are absolutely certain to vote. By contrast, 45 percent of Clinton backers are paying close attention to the race, and 80 percent are certain to vote, while one-fifth say they will probably or are less likely to cast a ballot.
Clinton is relying on an extensive ground operation in the competitive states to turn out every vote possible, mindful that some of her supporters are not enthusiastic. Trump has gotten a late start in organizing in the battleground states and appears to be well behind Clinton in this aspect of the campaign. He will rely heavily on efforts by the Republican National Committee to reach his voters.
For more information visit https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/clinton-holds-lead-over-trump-in-new-poll-but-warning-signs-emerge/2016/09/10/800dee0c-76c8-11e6-b786-19d0cb1ed06c_story.html
It’s still nearly two months until voters head to the polls on Nov. 8. But if the election were today, who would you vote for: Clinton or Trump? Or will you pick another candidate? Or will you simply stay home?
Vote in the informal, unscientific poll below.
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