Donald Trump is in a virtual dead heat with Hillary Clinton in Florida, but the Democrat holds a slim lead over the Republican nominee in Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to a new Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll released Tuesday.
Here are the results:
Florida:
- Clinton: 46 percent.
- Trump: 45 percent.
With third-party candidates:
- Trump: 43 percent.
- Clinton: 43 percent.
- Libertarian Party Candidate Gary Johnson: 7 percent.
- Green Party Candidate Jill Stein: 3 percent.
Ohio:
- Clinton: 49 percent.
- Trump: 45 percent.
With third-party candidates:
- Clinton: 44 percent.
- Trump: 42 percent.
- Johnson: 8 percent.
- Stein: 3 percent.
Pennsylvania:
- Clinton: 52 percent.
- Trump: 42 percent.
With third-party candidates:
- Clinton: 48 percent.
- Trump: 39 percent.
- Johnson: 7 percent.
- Stein: 3 percent.
"This Swing State Poll shows a mixed result for the presidential candidates, although certainly with an overall edge for Secretary Hillary Clinton," Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, said in his analysis of the results. "She has a double-digit lead in Pennsylvania and the narrowest of edges in Ohio, but Florida, with the largest cache of Electoral College votes is a tie.
"When voters are asked about a four-way ballot that includes Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein, Trump picks up a point or two against Secretary Clinton in each of the three states.
"It is not that her voters are in love with Secretary Clinton — they just dislike her less than they disdain Trump," Johnson added. "In fact, among Clinton voters in all three states more than four in 10 say their opposition to Trump, rather than their liking of her, is the main reason for their vote.
"Among Trump voters, dislike of Secretary Clinton is even a larger factor in their choice," he continued. "Among Trump voters, well over half say they back him because they dislike her."
The Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll was conducted from July 30 to Sunday.
The Florida sample totaled 1,056 likely voters, with a margin of error of 3 percent. Quinnipiac surveyed 812 likely voters in Ohio, with a margin of error of 3.4 percent — and 815 likely voters were sampled in the Keystone State, and the margin of error is also 3.4 percent.