Clinton Leads Trump in Pennsylvania, a Key Battleground State: Poll

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY — Now that the primaries and conventions are well in the past, political eyes turn to how the presidential candidates can muster 270 electoral college votes to actually become the leader of the free world.

The NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist Poll shows former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, and reality television star and real estate mogul Donald J. Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, are competitive in the key battleground states of Iowa and Ohio and Clinton leading Trump in Pennsylvania.

For the poll, 1,022 adults were interviewed from August 3, 2016, to August 7, 2016.

In Iowa, in a two-way matchup, Clinton, a Chappaqua resident, is 4 percentage points ahead of Trump, who has an estate in Bedford and owns a golf course in Briarcliff Manor.

Respondents to the poll were asked who they would support if the election was held today.

The former Secretary of State received 41 percent of the votes, with Trump receiving 37 percent.

A four-way contest, including Libertarian Gary Johnson and the Green Party’s Jill Stein, had Clinton and Trump tied at 35 percent.

Clinton is also up over Trump in Ohio—43 percent to 38 percent—in a two-way contest. She maintains a similar lead when Johnson and Stein are included.

Pennsylvania is a little different, in that Clinton has an 11-point lead over Trump—48 percent to 37 percent—in a two-way contest.

Throw Johnson and Stein into the mix and Clinton maintains a 9-point lead over Trump.

One problem for both major candidates is that they remain unpopular in Iowa, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist Poll asked people in those states “Overall, do you have a favorable or an unfavorable impression” of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump?

Neither candidate came out looking good.

Clinton’s unfavorables were 57 percent in Iowa, 60 percent in Ohio and 53 percent in Pennsylvania.

On the other hand, Trump’s unfavorables were 64 percent in Iowa, 61 percent in Ohio and 63 percent in Pennsylvania.

“The convention dust has settled in these three critical battleground states,” said Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion.

“Despite the national spotlight of the conventions focused on each candidate, Clinton and Trump have not made any headway in voters’ positive impression of them,” he said.

Read more about the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Maris Poll, including methodology, go here.

Photos by Gage Skidmore via Flickr / Creative Commons