Email-Gate Blowback: Trump Takes Lead Over Clinton In 3 Key Swing States

Source: Zero Hedge

July 13, 2016

by Tyler Durden

With the majority of Americans disapproving of FBI Director Comey's (and implicitly Loretta Lynch's) decision to let Hillary off, it is perhaps not surprising that in the first major poll following the email-gate debacle, Donald Trump has taken the lead in three key swing states and narrowed Clinton's lead overall to just 3 points. As one analyst noted, "while there is no definite link between Clinton's [drop and the DoJ decision] she has lost ground to Trump on questions which measure moral standards and honesty."

Nationally, Americans disapproved of The FBI/DoJ decision...

And so, as Bloomberg reports, a solid lead Hillary Clinton had in Florida less than a month ago has vanished, and Donald Trump also has edged ahead of her in Philadelphia while the two remain tied in Ohio, according to Quinnipiac University's "Swing State" poll.

Trump leads Clinton 42% to 39% in Fla. in straight head-to-head matchup; comparable survey released June 21 showed her with 8-ppt. lead, 47% to 39%

With minor-party candidates factored in, Trump leads Clinton 41%-36%; Libertarian Gary Johnson garners 7%, Green Party's Jill Stein 4%

Trump leads Clinton 43% to 41% in Pa.; June 21 survey had Clinton with slight edge, 42% to 41% As in Fla., Trump's lead expands when minor-party candidates added to mix; results are Trump 40%, Clinton 34%, Johnson 9%, Stein 3%

Trump/Clinton tied in Ohio with 41% each; June 21 survey showed them tied at 40% support In matchup including minor-party candidates, Trump has 37%, Clinton 36%, Johnson 7%, Stein 6%

Furthermore, as The Hill reports, Hillary Clinton's lead over Donald Trump has fallen to 3 points nationwide, according to a new poll.  

Clinton leads Trump, 47 to 44 percent, in the NBC News/Survey Monkey poll released Tuesday.

 

Clinton had a 5-point edge over Trump, 48 to 43 percent, in the same poll last week.

Pollsters also found in the new survey that 82 percent think Clinton's use of a private email server while secretary of State was "not appropriate," versus 15 percent who say it was.

Fifty-six percent also disagree with FBI Director James Comey's recommendation last week that Clinton not face criminal charges, while 41 percent say he made the right call.

In addition, two-thirds say Clinton is neither honest nor trustworthy.

Therefore Trump enters Republican National Convention next week in Cleveland "on a small roll in the three most important swing states in the country," says poll Assistant Director Peter Brown.

"While there is no definite link between Clinton's drop in Florida and the U.S. Justice Department decision not to prosecute her for her handling of e-mails, she has lost ground to Trump on questions which measure moral standards and honesty."

However, rather notably, the divided nation is clear...

Clinton leads by 81-6 percent among African-Americans, 52-26 among Latinos, 51-33 among women, 50-34 among college graduates, 47-31 among those younger than 30 and 45-38 among those who make less than $45,000 a year.

Trump leads by 49-34 percent among whites, 47-33 among men, 44-39 among non-college graduates and 46-40 among those 60 and older.

The poll also revealed regional differences in bright colors: Clinton leads comfortably in the Northeast and the West. Trump triumphs in the South, and the two are even in the Midwest.

* * *

Is it possible that - as we previously noted - Comey's decision has enabled Trump to 'win' fairly? As Dilbert creator Scott Adams' explained,

How credible would a future President Trump be if he won the election by the FBI’s actions instead of the vote of the public? That would be the worst case scenario even if you are a Trump supporter. The public would never accept the result as credible.

...

Thanks to Comey, the American voting public will get to decide how much they care about Clinton’s e-mail situation. And that means whoever gets elected president will have enough credibility to govern effectively.

Comey might have saved the country. He sacrificed his reputation and his career to keep the nation’s government credible.