Hillary Clinton has a slight lead over Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in Florida and many Floridians viewed her to be the winner of Monday night’s debate, according to a new poll released Thursday.
The Democratic-leaning Public Policy Poll (PPP) showed Clinton with a lead of 45 percent of Florida voters to Trump’s 43 percent in a four-way race which included Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein. Johnson claims 3 percent and 1 percent are for Stein.
When Clinton and Trump were paired against each other in a two-way race, Clinton’s numbers increase slightly, taking 48 percent to Trump’s 45 percent.
More than half of Floridians said they viewed Clinton as the winner of the first presidential debate which was held Monday evening. Fifty-two percent said they thought Clinton won the debate, while 35 percent said they believed Trump won the debate.
Most recent polls have shown Trump on the move in Florida, closing what was once a larger lead by Clinton, but this is the first poll taken and released after the opening debate.
Half of those surveyed --50 percent-- say Clinton is prepared to be president while 47 percent disagree. When asked about Trump, 40 percent say he is prepared to be president while 55 percent say he is not prepared to sit in the Oval Office.
Both of the major party candidates still suffer unfavorability issues and are upside down in Florida. Clinton is seen as favorable by 43 percent while 53 percent view her as unfavorable. Trump, on the other hand, has very similar numbers with 42 percent seeing him as favorable and 53 percent viewing him as unfavorable.
As Election Day nears, both candidates are hyperfocusing on Florida, the biggest swing state in the country. Both have shifted their attention to the Sunshine State following Monday's debate, with both teams making stops in Florida this week.
Clinton will make appearances in South Florida Friday, heading to St. Lucie and Broward Counties, but specific times and places where she would make stops were not yet available.
Former president Bill Clinton will also be campaigning on Hillary Clinton’s behalf this week, heading out on a bus tour through North Florida. He’ll make stops throughout the Panhandle beginning Friday before heading to the East Coast to campaign, focusing on the economy as his main talking point.
The poll of 826 likely voters in Florida was taken from Sept. 27-Sept. 28 and had a margin of error of +/-3.4 percent.
