Hillary Clinton carries a 9-point lead over Donald Trump in the smallest battleground state, according to a new Monmouth University poll of New Hampshire voters.
The former secretary of state edges Trump 47 to 38 percent in the Granite State, which she lost to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary. Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson draws 10 percent support, while 3 percent of voters remain undecided less than 50 days out from the election.
Much of Clinton’s lead stems from the double-digit advantages she carries among college-educated voters, those under the age of 50, and women. The Democratic presidential hopeful also leads her Republican opponent by 7 percentage points among independents, a major voting bloc in New Hampshire.
Trump enjoys greater support than Clinton among men (47 to 37 percent) and voters without a college education, whom he carries by 7 percentage points. Voters in the Granite State also view him less favorably than Clinton, although she earns a net-negative favorability rating as well, and are less likely to trust him to handle the economy and jobs.
Interestingly, a majority of voters who have followed the birther issue, and watched Trump acknowledge last Friday that President Obama was born in the U.S., said the Republican presidential hopeful did so for political reasons. Still, only 15 percent said Trump’s statement makes them less likely to vote for him in November.
As far as the New Hampshire Senate race goes, incumbent Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte carries a slim 2-point lead over Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan — 47 to 45 percent. Both women have net-positive favorability ratings, though Hassan’s 60 percent job approval rating as governor is higher than Ayotte’s 50 percent job approval rating in the Senate.
The Monmouth University poll of 400 likely voters in New Hampshire was conducted between Sept. 17-20. Results contain a margin of error plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.
