Another day, another mixed bag of poll results for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
The Democrat’s lead continues to grow in the Washington Post/ABC poll, now standing at five points. In the IBD/TPP poll, Mr Trump is back on top by one point.So it’s a case of choose-your-own-adventure for what poll you want to believe.
None of the polls, of course, take account of how voters will react to the FBI clearing Clinton of criminality on the latest batch of emails. Here’s my blog on how that twist may impact the election.
A look at key state polling, however, shows signs of weakness in the vaunted Clinton firewall, which could be why Trump is spending time in Michigan, Wisconsin and New Hampshire.
New Hampshire, one of the states that had proven to be durably blue over the past few months, now appears to be a toss-up. Both Mrs Clinton and President Barack Obama are planning last-minute trips there to shore up support.
And Michigan, which was a 10-point win for Mr Obama in 2012, is also looking uncomfortably close for the Democrats.There was some good news for Mrs Clinton from Ohio, where a well-respected poll has her up by one point (but this is well within the margin of error).
With early voting showing turnout in the state’s heavily Democratic black community down, Mrs Clinton has made several stops there in recent days, including hosting a concert by rapper Jay-Z and pop star Beyonce on Friday and a joint appearance with local basketball hero LeBron James on Sunday.
An Ohio win would all but guarantee victory for Mrs Clinton, so signs of life – after several polls showed her behind Mr Trump – will be welcome news.
She will also remain heartened by early voting in Nevada, where long queues reflect a strong Hispanic turnout.All in all, she still has the upper hand, but this election is far from decided.
