Hillary Clinton has expanded her lead in Pennsylvania, thanks largely to Donald Trump’s shaky debate performance and recent spate of bad news surrounding the Republican presidential nominee, according to a new Franklin & Marshall College poll.
A week after the first presidential debate, Clinton leads Trump 47-38 percent among the Keystone State’s likely voters. Her advantage grows to 48-36 percent among registered voters.
Trump appeared to be gaining ground in Pennsylvania, where Clinton led by seven percentage points, last month.
But his showing in last week’s debate coupled with his rhetorical attack against former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, and revelations about his tax returns has slowed him momentum, said G. Terry Madonna, the poll’s director.
“I think the combination of things has hurt him badly,” Madonna said. “He’s losing the Philly suburbs by 26 points (54-32 percent) and that area has the largest pool of college-educated voters.”
Still, 50 percent of registered Pennsylvania voters view Clinton unfavorably while 47 percent view her favorably. Sixty percent of the state’s voters view Trump unfavorably while 32 percent view him favorably.
The state’s registered voters favor Clinton over Trump 60-18 percent on the question of who has the experience to be president. They believe Clinton has the character and judgment to be president, 48-23 percent.
But Madonna said there are still potential danger signs for Clinton in Pennsylvania.
“What gives him (Trump) hope is she’s isn’t getting that enthusiasm among African Americans that Obama got,” he said. “She’s not getting the enthusiasm among African Americans and millennials. The Democrats are furiously working on that.”
William Douglas: 202-383-6026, @williamgdouglas
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