Listen HereClinton holds a slim lead over Trump
By Mac Williams
@m_williamsm2
It is almost over. The 2016 general election is winding down and will take place Tuesday, Nov. 8. As Election Day nears, the polls begin to close.
According to an ABC News Tracking Poll of likely voters taken on Oct. 31, 2016, Hillary Clinton holds a slim one-point lead over Donald Trump with 46 percent of the vote. Donald Trump checks in at 45 percent, while Gary Johnson and Jill Stein are both under five percent respectively.
The one-point lead for Clinton illustrates the tightening of the race that has occurred over the last two weeks. According to the same ABC News Tracking Poll of likely voters conducted two weeks ago, Clinton was leading Trump 46 percent to 38 percent, a difference of eight points.
However, according to Real Clear Politics’ average of nine independent polls, Clinton holds an average lead of two points. She leads Trump by an average of 47 percent to 45 percent.
With the final days of the elections ticking down, the candidates are making their final push in many battleground states across the country. According to Hillary Clinton’s website, her campaign will be making over 13 campaign stops in the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, and North Carolina leading up to Election Day. Additionally, according to the Trump campaign’s
website, they will be making five campaign stops in the battleground states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina in the next week. The campaign has not yet posted scheduled events for three days leading up to Election Day.
As of now, the Pulse’s print date (Tuesday, Nov. 1), Trump is still trying to solidify his base after recent allegations of sexual misconduct rocked the campaign. Clinton, meanwhile, has had troubles of her own when it comes to dealing with numerous WikiLeaks allegations that she used the Clinton Foundation for profit. She is also dealing with more email allegations from current FBI director James Comey. According to CNN, Comey sent a letter to Congress of Friday, Oct. 28 that announced the discovery of new emails relating to the closed investigation into Clinton’s private State Department server. With just days to go to the election, many voters will be looking to key battleground states to see how the election may swing.
Surprisingly, the key to election night this year might not be Ohio. According to CNN’s electoral map if Clinton loses Ohio, but wins in Pennsylvania and North Carolina (which she is leading in), then she would have more than the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election. Conversely, according to CNN’s electoral map, if Trump were to win Ohio, Florida, Nevada, and North Carolina, he would still fall short of the 270 electoral votes needed.
The polls and electoral map clearly indicate that Clinton has the advantage going into the final week-and-a-half of the campaign, however, if polls continue to tighten it could give Trump an avenue to make a run at the White House. No matter which candidate wins on election night, it will most assuredly be exciting, must-watch television news coverage.
