Hillary Clinton has a double-digit advantage over Donald Trump in a new Iowa poll.
There's also evidence that Trump's misfortunes may already be creating a drag on Republican "down-ballot" races. The same poll shows Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley with just a 1-point lead over his Democratic challenger.
Clinton has 48 percent support to Trump’s 34 percent in a head-to-head match-up in the
Loras College poll but the gap closes when third-party candidates are listed.
When Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein are added, Clinton's lead narrows. In that scenario, she has 44 percent, with Trump at 31 percent, Johnson at 6 percent and Stein at 2 percent.
“I think third-party candidates, especially libertarian Gary Johnson, have their sights set on having 2016 be a breakthrough year. Both Johnson and Stein seek to capitalize on voter dissatisfaction and the lack of widespread enthusiasm of the Democratic and Republican candidates,” Christopher Budzisz, director of the Loras College Poll,
told The Hill.
A recent Public Policy Polling survey earlier this month also gave Clinton a 2-point lead over Trump.
The Senate poll, meanwhile, shows Grassley with 46 percent support and Democratic challenger Patty Judge with 45 percent.
“Senator Grassley is something of an institution here in Iowa, but Democrats are hoping to use his refusal to hold a Senate hearing on President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee against him," Budzisz told The Hill.
"I think they are also hoping for a negative down-ballot effect created by Trump as the presidential nominee. Senator Grassley will not be easy to unseat, however."
While the poll shows the results of the race are close, 70 percent of those surveyed said they expect Grassley to win.
"Still, in this volatile year, Senator Grassley appears to be facing a tougher challenge than most people would have predicted earlier this year," Budzisz added.
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