Trump and Clinton are neck-and-neck in swing state matchups

(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images))

published 10 May 2016

Neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump holds a clear advantage in the three key battleground states of Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania six months ahead of the general election, a new poll out Tuesday by Quinnipiac University finds. The results foreshadow what's likely to be a tense race ahead. Since 1960, no presidential candidate has won the race without winning at least two of these three battleground states.

In both Florida and Pennsylvania, Clinton narrowly leads Trump by 43 percent to 42 percent, well within the poll's three-point margin of error. In Ohio, voters prefer Trump to Clinton by a slim four-point margin, 43 percent to 39 percent. Voters are even further divided between the two candidates by race, age, and gender. Clinton holds sizable leads with women, younger voters, and nonwhite voters, while Trump wins with men, older voters, and white voters. "This election may be good for divorce lawyers," Peter Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac poll, said.