Republican convention catapults Trump ahead of Clinton in new polls


The Republican National Convention might have had its share of chaos, ranging from a plagiarism scandal to all-out mutiny, but Donald Trump did something right according to the latest polls. In a four-way competition including Gary Johnson and Jill Stein, Trump leads the current race for the White House following a 6-point post-convention bump, putting him at 44 percent to Hillary Clinton's 39 percent.
The CNN/ORC poll found that Trump's surge comes mainly from independents that were convinced by his convention in Cleveland — 43 percent reported being swayed by what they saw, while 41 percent said they were dissuaded. Overall, what voters heard and saw boosted Trump's favorability. CNN writes, "There hasn't been a significant post-convention bounce in CNN's polling since 2000. That year Al Gore and George W. Bush both boosted their numbers by an identical 8 points post-convention before ultimately battling all the way to the Supreme Court."
Two other polls published Monday will also raise concerns for the Clinton camp: Morning Consult shows Trump has pulled 4 points ahead of Clinton. CBS News shows Clinton and Trump in a dead heat, 42 percent to 42 percent after both the Republican convention and Clinton's announcement of Sen. Tim Kaine as her running mate.
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The CNN/ORC poll reached 882 registered voters by telephone between July 22 and 24 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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