DENVER – A national poll released Tuesday shows Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton essentially tied headed into the heart of the election season.
Trump edges Clinton by just 2 points, according to the new CNN/ORC poll.
Trump would best Clinton 45 percent to 43 percent on Nov. 8, according to the survey.
Libertarian Gary Johnson polls at 7 percent among likely voters, and the Green Party’s Jill Stein comes in at just 2 percent, according to the report.
The poll reflects statements made by both camps over the past two months, in which the two campaigns said they expected polls to tighten in September and October.
In battleground Colorado, several polls had Clinton with a double-digit lead over Trump, though Clinton’s campaign has tried to fight that narrative.
For Clinton, her greatest enemy could be apathy, as Democrats and left-leaning unaffiliated voters might think Trump has no chance of winning the election and sit it out.
Despite the tight 50-state poll, 59 percent of voters believe Clinton will win.
“We’ve said from the beginning that polls would go up and down and that we weren’t taking Colorado for granted,” said Emmy Ruiz, Clinton’s Colorado director. “With just over 60 days left in this election cycle, we’re only going to work harder – regardless of what the polls or the Trump campaign is saying.”
One issue facing Clinton – especially in Colorado – is millennial voters. Many had been wooed by Bernie Sanders during the contested Democratic primary, others simply aren’t enamored with Clinton.
In a state like Colorado with a lot of younger voters, millennials could push the election over the top, especially for Clinton. While she holds a significant lead with millennials, the campaign says there is work to do.
Poetry competitions, streaming live music on Facebook and even registering voters by playing “Pokemon Go” have been strategies employed by the Clinton campaign. There are 10 dedicated campus organizations in Colorado for Clinton.
Millennials are one of Clinton’s three key groups, which also include women and Latinos. Both women and Latinos poll strong for Clinton.
One boost in Colorado this year could be an all-mail election, which has favored Democrats in the past.
For the Trump campaign, the CNN poll indicates an important factor headed in their direction, and that’s unaffiliated voters. Trump has an edge, with 49 percent of unaffiliated voters, while just 29 percent back Clinton, according to the CNN poll.
In Colorado, a third of voters are registered as unaffiliated.
“We are campaigning hard in Colorado, and Hillary loses voters each day as more and more details emerge of her illegal pay-to-play scandal at the State Department where she traded official access for donations to the Clinton Foundation from foreign governments,” said Trump Colorado director Patrick Davis.
He is referring to claims that Clinton’s nonprofit accepted donations from other countries while she was secretary of state, creating a conflict. Clinton also is followed by controversy over using a private email server during her time in office.
“Voters of all ages and backgrounds are tired of the same old Washington corruption and back room deals,” Davis continued. “They will vote for change in November.”
pmarcus@durangoherald.com
