A new CBS News panel study has found race across the combined battlegrounds tied at 42 percent for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, signaling new challenges for the Democratic candidate and suprising momentum for the Republican contender.
Until last week, Clinton had a narrow one point lead last week, and was a two points edge on Labor Day.
But new findings barely a week ahead of September 26 first presidential debate, has raised cocnern among Clinton campaigners.
The Battleground Tracker study, based on 4202 interviews in 13 states, shows that 55 percent of battleground voters want to see “big changes” in the nation’s politics and economy in the next few years, while 43 percent want “some changes” and only 2 percent think things are fine and not in need of much change.
Significantly, Trump leads by a wide margin on being trusted to change Washington: Forty-seven percent trust Trump to do it, 20 percent trust that Clinton can do it. Nine percent of independents trust Clinton can change Washington. Only 47 percent of Democrats trust Clinton to change Washington. A similar 41 percent of Democrats trust neither candidate to do it.
Trump, who picked fights with Latinos and American Muslims during much of the primary season, has surpised political observes by catching up and even surging ahead in polls in some of the key states.
However, on the positive side for Clinton, the former secretary of state leads 47 percent to 39 percent on being trusted to handle the job well day-to-day, and by 43 percent to 34 percent on being trusted to act in a way that America can be proud of. Twenty-three percent think neither would.
According to CBS News, one reason this race remains tight and most have made up their minds. Economy remains a big concern with voters.
This CBS News 2016 study was conducted on the internet of registered voters in North Carolina and Pennsylvania, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin. The margin of error is 1.9%.
In an example of how the Clinton campaign is paying attention to the latest standings, her running mate Senator Tim Kaine, as reported by The Washington Post, has paid three visits to New Hampshire which has just four votes in the electoral college.
“This race is close,” Kaine said according to the Post.
“I would rather be us right now than them. I think we have a more straightforward path to win and they have a more complicated path. But [there is] nothing to take for granted because, let’s be honest, it’s been a season of surprises.”
The newest polls also mean that Clinton, who has been an overwhelming favorite among Hispanic and African American voters, will in the current scenario need a heavy turnout of voters from both communities.
Clearly, alongwith putting up a strong political fight against Trump, Clinton now needs to focus as much on the two communities as well as indpendent and undecided voters in the battleground states.
Trump, on the other hand, may seek to make case for his leadership on security and economic challenges.
