Trump, Clinton are neck and neck in new poll before first debate
The latest national Bloomberg poll shows both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton at 46 percent of the vote.
On Monday night, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are headed to Hofstra University in New York for a presidential debate, and going in, it’s clear that the stakes are high as the most recent Bloomberg poll shows that they are deadlocked.
The latest national Bloomberg poll shows both candidates at 46 percent of the vote, though when third-party candidates are included, Trump gets 43 percent to Clinton’s 41 percent.
According to Ann Selzer, who oversaw the poll, part of the reason for Trump’s gains is the fact that, over the last three months, the support among women and young voters for Clinton has started to fall, allowing the Republican candidate to edge her out headed into the debate.
It certainly doesn’t help Clinton’s chances that she goes into this debate with public expectation of her performance much higher than for her opponent, meaning tonight’s debate is key for the Democratic presidential nominee to secure better support among potential voters before Election Day in November.
The latest poll numbers show that Clinton has lost the 6-point lead she had in August, and even then, her August lead was down from the 12-point one she enjoyed in June.
Both candidates are facing major skepticism over their respective trustworthiness, with over 7 in 10 saying they distrust Clinton and over 6 in 10 saying the same of Trump.
“It will be hard for either candidate to criticize the other too harshly on this form of integrity,” Selzer said. “They are the pot and the kettle.”
