Heading into the general election, polls have gone back and forth on whether Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump have the strongest chances of winning in November. Though Clinton usually holds a slight lead, the most recent polls indicate that may no longer be the case in key swing states.
According to Quinnipiac University polls released on Wednesday, Trump leads Clinton by three points in Florida, while he leads by two points in Pennsylvania. Both of these fall within the margin of error, but nevertheless, the race is far too close for comfort.
In Ohio, Clinton and Trump are tied.
A second element of the survey includes third party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein. Once these extra candidates are added, Trump’s lead in these key states balloons. In this case, Trump leads in Florida by five points, in Pennsylvania by seven points, and in Ohio by one point.
Considering that Johnson’s staying power seems to be growing rather than diminishing, this third-party factor is certainly something for the Clinton camp to be concerned about.
Another factor which certainly came into play here is the decision on Clinton’s email scandal. Majority of Americans believe Clinton should have been held accountable for the rules she broke, and that is no doubt having a negative affect on her polling numbers. As that controversy dies, we can expect to see a rise in her polling numbers, hopefully enough to put Trump back down in the “loser” position.
Of course, it is still early and we will have countless other surveys like this one before America casts her ballot in November, but it is deeply unsettling that things could have ever gotten so close between a hateful Republican demagogue and a candidate representing the Democratic party.
