In an ever-tightening, increasingly negative presidential campaign, a new national poll by Quinnipiac University shows Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump are virtually tied when third-party candidates are included in the race.
The poll found Clinton ahead by only 2 percentage points when the margin of error is 3.2 points _ meaning the race is too close to call.
In a one-on-one matchup, Clinton leads Trump by 5 percentage points _ half of her previous lead. Clinton, the former Secretary of State, had been leading Trump by 10 percentage points in a head-to-head poll by Quinnipiac that was released on Aug. 25.
But Clinton's lead dissipated when two lesser-known candidates _ Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party and Jill Stein of the Green Party _ were included in the poll in a four-way race.
The latest survey of likely voters showed that both major candidates have exceedingly high negative ratings, and many voters say they will be casting ballots against one of them _ rather than chiefly voting in favor of a candidate.
The race has been tightening at a time of concern and increased media reports about Clinton's health. A widely circulated videotape showed Clinton stumbling as she attempted to enter a van after leaving a ceremony in lower Manhattan on the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Her campaign announced later that she had been diagnosed by her Westchester County personal physician with pneumonia.
"No doubt the pneumonia will pass, but like a nagging cough that just won't go away, Donald Trump defies every remedy Hillary Clinton throws at him," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. "It's the definition of 'damned by faint praise' _ a presidential contest where a vote for a candidate is less an endorsement of that candidate than a stinging rejection of his or her opponent."
Malloy continued, "Priority one for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump as the election looms: lure the cynical, disaffected, downright disgusted electorate into their camp. That's no mean feat as clouds of distrust loom over both campaigns."
The Quinnipiac poll showed that 54 percent of Clinton voters said they were primarily opposing Trump, and only 32 percent "say they are mainly voting for Clinton."
In the same way, 66 percent of Trump's supporters said they were primarily opposing Clinton, and only 23 percent were chiefly supporting Trump.
In a year with the two major candidates with the highest negatives in modern presidential history, 52 percent of independents said they would "consider voting" for a third-party candidate. The highest among those voters were young people ages 18 to 34 at 62 percent. Only 21 percent of those over 65 said they would consider voting for a minor-party candidate.
The poll shows that the electorate is clearly divided in a tight race. Trump leads among white voters and men, while Clinton leads among non-white voters and women. Democrats overwhelmingly back Clinton at 92 percent, while 86 percent of Republicans and 45 percent of independents back Trump. Another 40 percent of independents back Clinton, while the rest support third-party candidates.
"Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton may be King and Queen of the prom, but they are showing up solo and their dance cards are blank," said Malloy. "The winner who waltzes at the Inaugural Ball will be the candidate who finally gets the other kids to like him or her."
The national poll was taken between Sept. 8 and Tuesday, and likely voters were surveyed on both cellphones and landlines.
Earlier Wednesday, a new poll by Bloomberg Politics showed that Trump is ahead by 5 percentage points in the key battleground state of Ohio. Numerous political pundits say that Trump will have major difficulty winning the election if he cannot win in Ohio.
For years, Ohio has been a key swing state in the Rust Belt that helps determine the national outcome. Democrat Barack Obama won Ohio in 2008 and 2012 on his way to nationwide victories, and Republican George W. Bush won the state in both 2000 and 2004.
Some polls have showed the race tightening recently after Clinton was sharply criticized for saying in widely quoted remarks that essentially half of Trump's supporters are "a basket of deplorables."
