A Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday shows that Donald Trump has a slight edge over Hillary Clinton in two key swing states, Florida and Pennsylvania.
The poll also shows that the two are tied in Ohio, another important battleground state that will be crucial to win the general election.
The race is so tight that all three states fall within the margin of error in the poll, Politico reported.
The race is so close that it’s within the margin of error in each of the three states. Trump leads by three points in Florida–the closest state in the 2012 election–42 percent to 39 percent. In Ohio, the race is tied, 41 percent to 41 percent. And in Pennsylvania–which hasn’t voted for a Republican presidential nominee since 1988–Trump leads, 43 percent to 41 percent.
This poll disputes the last three national polls in which Clinton has at least a two-point lead in Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania, according to Politico.
But subsequent polls later confirmed the May Quinnipiac surveys: Trump pulled virtually even with Clinton nationally after knocking out his rivals for the GOP nomination.
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But, in a reversal from earlier surveys, it’s a more acute problem for Clinton. Clinton’s unfavorable ratings (59 percent in Florida, 60 percent in Ohio, 65 percent in Pennsylvania) are higher than Trump’s (54 percent in Florida, 59 percent in Ohio, 57 percent in Pennsylvania) in all three battleground states. And majorities in all three states–which together account for 67 electoral votes, or nearly a quarter of the 270 necessary to win the presidency–have a "very unfavorable" view of Clinton.
The Quinnipiac poll shows a drop for Clinton in "moral standards" for voters in the state of Florida. Politico pointed out:
In the poll release, the school suggested the investigation could have played a role, pointing to other lingering questions about Clinton’s honesty and trustworthiness. "While there is no definite link between Clinton’s drop in Florida and the U.S. Justice Department decision not to prosecute her for her handling of emails," Quinnipiac pollster Peter Brown said, "she has lost ground to Trump on questions which measure moral standards and honesty."
The Quinnipiac poll found the following on this:
Comparing the candidates’ character traits, voters say: 42-42 percent tie on who has higher moral standards, wiping out a 47-36 percent Clinton lead on this measure June 21.
Comparing the candidates’ character traits, voters say: 50-37 percent that Trump is more honest and trustworthy, up from 43-40 percent.
In all three swing states, Trump has at least a ten point lead over Clinton when voters are asked who is more honest and trustworthy.
Trump also has a seven point lead over Clinton with voters when they are asked to say who is a stronger leader.
A new McClatchy national poll also shows a tightening race. Clinton, in a one-on-one matchup with Trump, is just up three points, 42 percent to 39 percent. It was the first time Clinton dropped below 50 percent support in polls going back one year.