Clinton leads by 5 points after second presidential debate


After revelations about Donald Trump's humiliation of former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, the fact that he might have avoided paying income taxes for nearly two decades, and the release of a tape containing audio of him bragging about groping women, the Republican nominee's past looks like it's finally catching up with him. Following the second presidential debate, Trump has sunk behind Hillary Clinton by five points with 27 days left before the election.
The numbers, which come from a Politico/Morning Consult poll, put Clinton at 42 percent to Trump's 37 percent in a four-way race, where Libertarian Gary Johnson is at 10 percent and the Green Party's Jill Stein at three percent. In a two-way race, Clinton leads 46 percent to 41 percent.
The results reveal a far different picture than what was on the table just over two weeks ago, indicating how damaging Trump's debate performances and lewd audio recording have actually been. Before the first presidential debate, Morning Consult's polls showed Trump ahead, at 39 percent to Clinton's 38 percent in a four-way matchup.
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The Politico/Morning Consult poll surveyed 2,001 registered voters on Monday and has a margin of error of plus or minus three percent. In the RealClearPolitics average, which does not yet use any post-second debate polls, Clinton is up by 5 points in the four-way race, at 45 percent to 40 percent.
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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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