COLUMBUS – As Donald Trump doubles down on hints that the U.S. presidential election may be “rigged,” a new poll shows the Republican nominee’s lead over Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton in Ohio has disappeared since the release of a video where the married Trump boasts of kissing, groping or having sex with women because of his fame and fortune.
The Quinnipiac University Poll released Monday shows Trump and Clinton locked in a tier, with 45 percent of likely voters in the state supporting each in a four-way race with independent Gary Johnson and the Green Party’s Dr. Jill Stein. Trump led Clinton 47 to 42 percent on Oct. 3.
The change wiped out a 7-point swing that put Trump in front of Clinton in Ohio by a comfortable margin with a little over a month before the election (see illustration).
The poll was conducted between Oct. 10 and Oct. 16 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.9 percentage points, said Peter Brown, the poll‘s assistant director.
The controversies seem to be taking their toll on the Trump vote,” Brown said. “The race in the Buckeye state is a dead heat and the poll’s internals show just how tight the race is there. Trump is leading by 14 points among men, Secretary Clinton up 12 points among women,” Brown said.
The big shift was among independent voters, who went from 52-33 percent for Trump Oct. 3 to a virtual tie – 41 to 40 percent – in the new poll, taken after release of the video.
The poll of voters in four swing states – Ohio, Colorado, Florida and Pennsylvania – show Clinton leading by 4-8 points in the other three states.
“Of particular importance are the Clinton leads in Florida and Pennsylvania. Trump probably can’t win if he loses one of them, and he’s toast if he loses both. In addition, Trump’s lead in Ohio, his best big swing state, is now gone,” Brown said.
Despite the word of experts, Trump is repeating his claim that voter fraud does, indeed, pose a significant threat to the integrity of the U.S. electoral system.
Trump told a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, last night that the election could be rigged “at the polling booths.”
“So many cities are corrupt and voter fraud is very, very common,” he said without citing any examples or offering any evidence of specific cases.
Most experts say voter fraud is extremely rare.
In Columbus Monday Trump’s running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence urged voters to get out to the polls, encourage others to vote and “ensure the integrity of our democracy.”
I’ve contacted @USPS about posts alleging destruction of absentee ballots. We’ll get the #facts & if true, hold anyone guilty accountable
— Jon Husted (@JonHusted) October 17, 2016
Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, who supports Trump, spent much of the day on cable and broadcast television, trying to reassure voters that the system is not rigged and elections are fair and honest, even tracking down what appears to be a spurious rumor that postal officials in Ohio were destroying absentee ballots.
The Franklin County Board of Elections announced that the postage for mailing the absentee ballots to the board’s offices had been increased to 68 cents from 47 cents but the postal service was still delivering those with incorrect postage.
Husted’s office says 1.2 million absentee ballots had been requested statewide as of Oct. 14, compared with approximately 1.4 million at this same point during the 2012 presidential election, when a record 1.87 million absentee ballots were cast by mail and in person.