In the wake of presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's tough week in the media last week, when FBI director James Comey's announcement of no criminal charges over Clinton's handling of email was accompanied by some harsh criticisms of that handling, Donald Trump has gained support in key battleground states.
That is according to a new Quinnipiac University swing state poll, which finds that Clinton has lost all of an eight-point lead since a June 21 survey, with Trump now leading 42 to 39. Trump is also leading in Pennsylvania and tied with Clinton in Ohio—Trump is hoping for an endorsement from Gov. John Kasich in that state, 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 e-mails, 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.
