In the wake of Hillary Clinton's tough week in the media, when FBI director James Comey's announcement of no criminal charges over the presumptive Democratic nominee's handling of email while Secretary of State was accompanied by some harsh criticisms, Republican nominee Donald Trump has gained support in the key battleground states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
That is according to a new Quinnipiac University swing state poll, which found that Clinton has lost all of an eight-point lead in Florida since a June 21 survey, with Trump now leading in the state 42% to 39%. Trump is also leading in Pennsylvania and is tied with Clinton in Ohio, where Trump is hoping for an endorsement from Gov. John Kasich, which could boost that number.
Given the margin of error, those states are all essentially dead heats at the moment.
"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 emails, she has lost ground to Trump on questions which measure moral standards and honesty," said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.
Nationally, Clinton's lead has shrunk to 3 percentage points -- 42% to 39% -- and she fell below 50% for the first time in a year, according to a new McClatchy/Marist poll.
