Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are running neck-and-neck in Pennsylvania, according to a poll released this week that showed Mrs. Clinton could still have some work to do in winning over supporters of Sen. Bernard Sanders in the state.
In a four-way contest, Mrs. Clinton was at 41 percent, Mr. Trump was at 40 percent, Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson was at 6 percent, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein was at 3 percent, according to the poll released Wednesday by the Democratic-leaning firm Public Policy Polling.
In a head-to-head match-up, Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump were tied at 44 percent apiece.
In the one-on-one contest, Mr. Trump had a 79 percent to 8 percent lead among Republicans, while Mrs. Clinton had a 75 percent to 15 percent lead among Democrats. Independents broke for Mr. Trump, 43 percent to 36 percent.
Mr. Sanders, meanwhile, held a 12-point lead over Mr. Trump head-to-head, 51 percent to 39 percent, including a 79 percent to 10 percent lead among Democrats.
Among those who said they support Mr. Sanders in the one-on-one contest against Mr. Trump, 72 percent said they support Mrs. Clinton in the general election, with 10 percent opting for Mr. Trump, 6 percent choosing Ms. Stein, 4 percent going with Mr. Johnson, and 9 percent undecided.
“The biggest question in the presidential race at this point is whether hesitant Bernie Sanders fans are going to get behind Hillary Clinton or not,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “In Pennsylvania if the answer to that question is yes, Clinton will be a strong favorite in the state. If the answer to that question is no, the state will be a toss up.”
On a generic ballot question for president, Democrats had a 45 percent to 41 percent lead over Republicans. President Obama won the state by about 5 points in 2012 over GOP nominee Mitt Romney.
But Mrs. Clinton’s favorable ratings were only slightly better than Mr. Trump’s. She had a 35 percent/56 percent favorable/unfavorable split, while Mr. Trump had a 34 percent/59 percent split.
The U.S. Senate race in the state is close as well, with GOP Sen. Pat Toomey holding a 3-point, 41 percent to 38 percent lead over Democrat Katie McGinty.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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