Clinton, Trump fight for Florida as election nears

Early voting has started in the state of Florida.

(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are both in Florida on Tuesday making aggressive pushes in the final days of the presidential election cycle. The state is an essential win for Trump, who would face a highly improbable path to the White House if he were to lose it.

But unfortunately for Trump, it could be an uphill battle. "This is in all reality a landslide in our great state," Ryan D. Tyson, the vice president of political operations for the Associated Industries of Florida business group, wrote in a confidential memo obtained by Politico. Tyson noted that Clinton has a 3 to 5 percent edge in polls that are adjusted to reflect Florida's electorate: "Based on [Trump's] consistent failure to improve his standing with non-white voters, voters under 50, and females, it seems fairly obvious to us that Mr. Trump's only hope left in Florida is a low turnout."

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The RealClearPolitics average shows Clinton up 3.8 percent in Florida between Oct. 10 and Oct. 21.

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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.