Hillary Clinton has a double-digit lead over Donald Trump in both Colorado and Virginia, while Mr. Trump remains within striking distance in Iowa, according to polling of the three battleground states released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University.
In head-to-head match-ups, Mrs. Clinton led Mr. Trump by 10 points in Colorado, 49 percent to 39 percent, and by 12 points in Virgnia, 50 percent to 38 percent, according to the Quinnipiac surveys of likely voters released Wednesday.
In Iowa, Mrs. Clinton held a narrower 3-point lead over Mr. Trump, 47 percent to 44 percent, with the polling analysis labeling that race “too-close-to-call.”
“Colorado and Virginia are important swing states,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. “Faced with these deficits in those states, Trump’s situation is similar to the poker player who must draw to an inside straight flush.”
Adding Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein to the mix reduced Mrs. Clinton’s leads by 1-2 points in each state. Mr. Johnson hit double digits in all three states and was at 16 percent support in Colorado.
“In Colorado, with a burgeoning Hispanic population, Donald Trump’s comments about Hispanics seem to have put the state out of his reach,” Mr. Brown said. “In Virginia, the growth of the Democratic leaning Washington D.C. suburbs probably has made the difference.”
Mr. Brown said the difference with Iowa is the state’s smaller than average minority population, and said the fact that candidates were exposed up close from the state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses was also at work.
“The state also is home to many blue-collar workers Trump is attracting in other states,” Mr. Brown said.
“Iowa shows the importance of candidates tending to their base,” he said. “Even though Trump is on the right side of a 45 - 41 percent split among Hawkeye State independent voters, Clinton is able to tie him because she is getting 97 percent of Democrats compared to his 85 percent of Republicans.”
At least 50 percent of voters in each state had unfavorable views of both Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump’s worst favorable/unfavorable split was in Colorado, where 66 percent reported a negative view.
Mrs. Clinton’s worst rating was in Iowa, where 58 percent had a negative view.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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