Hillary Clinton holds single-digit leads over Donald Trump in head-to-head matchups in the battleground states of Pennsylvania and North Carolina, while the two candidates are tied in Florida and Mr. Trump is slightly ahead in Ohio, according to Quinnipiac University polling released Thursday.
Head-to-head, Mrs. Clinton held a 5-point lead in Pennsylvania and a 4-point lead in North Carolina, while the candidates were tied in Florida and Mr. Trump had a 1-point lead in Ohio, according to the surveys of likely voters in the four make-or-break states.
Adding third-party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein into the mix didn’t affect the margins in Pennsylvania, North Carolina or Florida, but Mr. Trump pulled ahead by 4 points in Ohio with those candidates added.
North Carolina voters were not asked about Ms. Stein since she’s not on the ballot there, though people can still write in her name.
“The effect of the Republican and Democratic conventions on the presidential race has run its course. As the campaign enters its final stage, Florida and Ohio, two of the largest and most important swing states, are too close to call, while North Carolina and Pennsylvania give Hillary Clinton the narrowest of leads,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.
“The obvious takeaway from these numbers is that Donald Trump has staged a comeback from his post-Democratic convention lows, especially in Pennsylvania and Ohio,” Mr. Brown said. “Taking a bit longer view, however, we see a race that appears little changed from where it was as the GOP convention began in July, and at least in these four key states is very much up for grabs.”
The Quinnipiac surveys were conducted from Aug. 29-Sept. 7.
A separate Suffolk University survey released on Thursday had given Mr. Trump a 3-point lead over Mrs. Clinton in North Carolina.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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