WASHINGTON: (APP) Hillary Clinton’s lead in the US presidential race against Donald Trump is evaporating with just over 50 days to go until election day, as she stirs ever less enthusiasm in her own camp.
The Democrat’s average lead since late August is just 1.8 points at the national level, a drop of four points in two weeks, and in several key states where the November election is likely to be decided, Trump is ahead.
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In Ohio the Manhattan mogul now leads the former secretary of state by 46 to 41 percent, and in Florida by 47 to 44 percent, although this falls within the margin of error, according to a CNN-ORC survey.
Clinton tried to project an air of calm as she jumped back on the campaign trail after a three-day enforced break due to pneumonia, saying she always said the race would be close.
But in a sign of jitters, her campaign announced that her former rival Bernie Sanders, who is popular among young people, and progressive senator Elizabeth Warren would campaign for Clinton this weekend in Ohio.
Meanwhile Trump declared: “We’ve had an incredible month. There is a great enthusiasm.”
It is not the first time the two candidates have been neck and neck. It happened briefly in May, before Trump lost ground.
But with the election less than two months away, Clinton enjoys ever less popularity among Democrats. Only 38 percent say they are very enthusiastic about her candidacy, down from 47 percent in August, according to a New York Times/CBS poll.
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Trump’s supporters appear much more fired-up: 55 percent say they are very keen to vote, against just 36 percent in the Clinton camp.
So for the Democrats, getting people out on November 8 will be key.
FiveThirtyEight, a website that analyzes polls, historical and economic data, says Clinton still has a 60.1 percent chance of winning, compared to 39.8 percent for Trump.
Back on August 8, Clinton’s chances stood much higher at 79.5 percent, compared to 20.5 percent for the Republican.
But since early last month Trump has overhauled his campaign team, tried to become more disciplined and less attack-oriented in his public appearances and has stopped insulting people. His new campaign chief, Kellyanne Conway, appears on television often to plug Trump.