WASHINGTON, July 13 (UPI) — A trio of state-specific polls show Donald Trump leading or tied in the crucial battleground states of Florida, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
The polls, conducted by Quinnipiac University, show a dramatic turnaround for Trump in Florida, where the previous Quinnipiac poll showed Clinton leading by 8 percentage points. The most recent version of the poll shows Trump leading Clinton, 42 percent to 39 percent.
In Pennsylvania, a state no Republican presidential candidate has won since 1988, Trump leads Clinton 43 percent to 41 percent.
All three results are within the poll’s margin of error, making them statistical ties.
Quinnipiac also finds Clinton took a hit on the question of her honesty in voters’ eyes.
On the question of who voters find more trustworthy, Trump leads Clinton 50 percent to 37 percent, up from a virtual tie of 43 percent for Trump and 40 percent for Clinton a month ago.
The two are tied at 42 percent apiece when voters are asked which candidate has higher moral standards.
Trustworthiness has become a central issue in Clinton’s campaign in the days since FBI Director James Comey was highly critical of her use of a private email system while secretary of state. Comey recommended no criminal charges be filed but said Clinton was “extremely careless” and would have faced potential disciplinary measures if she had still been a State Department employee.
Trump, meanwhile, starts the Republican National Convention next week on a “small roll” in the three most important swing states, says Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac Univeriversity Poll.
“He has wiped out Hillary Clinton‘s lead in Florida; is on the upside of too-close to call races in Florida and Pennsylvania and is locked in a dead heat in Ohio,” said Brown.
The Quinnipiac polls were conducted from June 30 to July 11. In Florida, 1,015 voters were surveyed and the poll has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. In Ohio, 955 voters were surveyed and the poll has a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points. In Pennsylvania, 982 voters were surveyed and the poll has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.
