| | | | Post-debate polling spree shows mostly good news for Clinton | | A new CNN/ORC Poll plus a bevy of other state polling out today shows Hillary Clinton getting some breathing room post-debate. Here's a look at the key numbers.
In the CNN/ORC Poll, Clinton has a 5-point lead nationally, topping Donald Trump 47% to 42% in a four-way race among likely voters. Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson was at 7% and Green Party nominee Jill Stein was at 2%. CNN polling director Jennifer Agiesta reports that the poll shows increased enthusiasm among Clinton supporters (50% are extremely or very enthusiastic now, up from 46% earlier in the month), and a slight down tick for Trump supporters, from 58% earlier in the month to 56%. Clinton has also narrowed Trump's edge on top issue tests, including handling the economy and terrorism, and has increased her edge on foreign policy, immigration and improving life for racial and ethnic minorities.
Another key finding? Although the poll was taken mostly before Saturday's bombshell New York Times story about Trump's taxes, more than 8-in-10 voters see paying taxes as a civic duty. | | Meanwhile, in a flurry of state polls released today, Clinton maintained a lead in key swing states in a four-way race. In Colorado, Clinton had an 11-point lead over Trump, per a Monmouth Poll, 49% to 38%. Her lead in Virginia was 8 points, 42% to 35%, according to the same poll.
Quinnipiac also came out with swing state polls from four states. Clinton leads in Florida, 46% to 41% for Trump. In North Carolina, Clinton had a lead within the margin of error, 46% to 43%. Bloomberg also had a North Carolina poll out today, finding the race statistically tied, with Clinton at 44% to Trump's 43%. Quinnipiac found Pennsylvania also tight and within the margin of error, with Clinton up 45% to 41%.
The sole lead for Trump came in Ohio, where he led Clinton 47% to 42%. While the perennial battleground state seems increasingly tough for Clinton, if her leads in other states hold, she would not need to win Ohio to get to 270 electoral votes. | | Trump Foundation gets cease-and-desist from NY AG | | New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has ordered Donald Trump's charity to stop fundraising in the state after The Washington Post's David Fahrenthold broke the story that the Trump Foundation was lacking a state license to solicit money from others.
CNN's Tom LoBianco reports that Schneiderman sent notice Friday to the Trump Foundation, alerting that it broke state law when it raised more than $25,000 from outside donors without filing properly with the state. New York requires charities to conduct annual audits to solicit donations.
"While we remain very concerned about the political motives behind AG Schneiderman's investigation, the Trump Foundation nevertheless intends to cooperate fully with the investigation," Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks said in a statement.
Fahrenthold, who has done yeoman's work reporting on the Trump Foundation, noted that the letter from James Sheehan, of the office's charities bureau, also "ordered that Trump's foundation provide all the financial audit reports it should have provided in prior years, when it raised money without legal permission. He said that if Trump's foundation did not stop its fundraising and file the proper paperwork, that would be considered 'a continuing fraud upon the people of New York."
He also tweeted a cryptic shout-out to an unnamed law professor who helped him uncover the story about the missing license. | | Hillary Clinton seized on the report from The New York Times that Donald Trump wrote off nearly $1 billion in losses on his 1995 taxes as she campaigned in Ohio today. She painted Trump as representing "the same rigged system that he claims he's going to change."
Trump responded at his own campaign event: "I'm working for you now, I'm not working for Trump." | | | Just in time for the final stretch of the campaign, Andrew Kaczynski and three of his BuzzFeed colleagues are joining CNN on Tuesday. Read all about it here. | | | New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, a vulnerable GOP incumbent, is giving out free condoms as part of her campaign to highlight her position on over-the-counter birth control. Politico has more on her race and the "condom sense" effort. | | Coming soon to talking points: US suspends talks with Russia | | Talks with Russia over the crisis in Syria seemed to fall apart today, as the United States announced it would "suspend its participation" in the bilateral negotiations that had produced a short-lived ceasefire in the civil conflict. As CNN's Ryan Browne reports, the announcement came after Secretary of State John Kerry threatened as much last week.
"This is not a decision that was taken lightly," State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement announcing the suspension. "Everybody's patience with Russia has run out," White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters.
Russia and Syria, of course, have been hot topics on the campaign trail all year, with Republicans criticizing the Obama administration's policies on Syria -- and by association, those of Hillary Clinton. Democrats have gone after Donald Trump by alleging a coziness with Russia, referencing Trump's frequent positive comments about Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian meddling in the US election. | | | Because I can -- this dancing dragon stole the show at the White House's South By South Lawn festival. The White House billed the event as a "festival of ideas, art and action," and President Barack Obama was scheduled to sit down for a conversation about climate change with actor Leonardo DiCaprio this evening. | | | Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway has had a lucrative cycle -- and not just from Donald Trump. ... A federal court blasted Trump running mate Mike Pence on Syrian refugees. ... First on CNN: Study says North Korea likely to attempt October surprise. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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