Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster
Hillary Clinton has a 5-point lead over Donald Trump in the Sunshine State, according to a new poll from Monmouth University.
The survey, released Tuesday and conducted from Sept. 16 to Sept. 19, showed Clinton was at 46 percent. Trump is in second with 41 percent, followed by Libertarian Gary Johnson at 6 percent. Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, received 1 percent, and 5 percent of respondents said they were undecided.
The survey of 400 likely Florida voters has a margin of error of 4.9 percent.
“Although Clinton’s lead is smaller than our last poll, she is maintaining her advantage in Florida given the ominous state of her poll standing last week,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, in a statement. “Florida has become less of a crucial battleground now that the campaigns’ attention has turned to the Rust Belt. However, a win here would make the path to 270 electoral votes that much easier for the victor and difficult for the loser.”
A poll of likely Florida voters in August showed Clinton with a 9-point lead over Trump.
While both candidates are disliked, Trump’s unfavorable ratings are significantly higher than Clinton’s. According to the poll, 56 percent of respondents said they had an unfavorable opinion of Trump, compared to 49 percent who had an unfavorable opinion of Clinton.
Respondents also said they trusted Clinton more than Trump (49 percent to 36 percent) to handle public health issues, like the Zika virus. The survey found 47 percent of Floridians would trust Clinton more to handle illegal immigration issues, while 46 percent picked Trump.
