A new national poll finds Hillary Clinton leading Donald Trump by 9 points heading into the third and final presidential debate.
Clinton leads Trump 47% to 38% in a four-way race. Libertarian Gary Johnson received 8% support, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein registered 3%, according to a Bloomberg Politics poll released Wednesday.
Clinton made significant gains in the new poll among demographic groups that she has struggled to win over during the campaign, and which have formed the bedrock of Trump’s base. The Democrat is now winning male voters, 46% to 44%, and voters without a college degree, 48% to 44%. Clinton also maintained a large 17-point edge among women voters overall, and carries white women 46% to 45%.
The poll also found that 56% of voters said the 2005 recording of Donald Trump talking about sexually assaulting women “will be a concern” as they vote, compared with 40% who said he had put the issues to rest.
Clinton’s lead is also helped by stronger partisan support. Ninety-three percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters say they back Clinton, while 85% of Republicans and Republican-leaning voters support Trump. Clinton leads 39% to 38% among independents.
Both candidates continue to shoulder net unfavorable ratings, though Clinton (-5, favorable vs. unfavorable) fares better than Trump (-25, favorable vs. unfavorable) on this measure.
The new poll also found that Clinton supporters were more likely than Trump supporters (59% to 42%) to say they would be “panicked” if their candidate’s opponent won the White House. Additionally, Trump supporters were found to be slightly more enthusiastic and slightly more certain of who they would vote for.
The Bloomberg politics poll was conducted between October 14-17, and surveyed 1,006 likely voters. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 points.
