Ohio and Florida are shaping up to be close general election races, with both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump having strong chances in the crucial swing states.
According to a CBS poll released on Sunday morning, the two presumptive party nominees are within single digits of each other in both states. Among voters “with a preference” in Florida, Clinton leads Trump 43 percent-42 percent, and in Ohio the former secretary of state leads 44-39.
In hypothetical matchups between Democratic primary challenger Sen. Bernie Sanders and Trump, Sanders ties Trump in Florida (44 percent each) and leads him by a larger margin in Ohio (48-39).
Although Clinton is hundreds of delegates ahead of Sanders in the nominating process, on the campaign trail the Vermont senator argues that his campaign could do better in the general election and ensure that Trump does not win the White House. While this appears to be true in Ohio, his relative unpopularity among Florida voters suggests Clinton has an edge in certain states.
In Ohio, only 56 percent of Clinton’s supporters backed her because she’s the “best” candidate, while a third of voters backed her simply because they believe she will be the democratic nominee or that she could beat Trump in the fall. Similarly in Ohio, 63 percent of voters who backed Clinton did so because she’s the “best” candidate.
Among Trump supporters in Ohio, 54 percent said they support the business mogul because they actually want to vote for him, whereas 30 percent are supporting him to oppose Hillary Clinton. In Florida, 60 percent of supporters picked Trump because he was the “best” candidate whereas 29 percent are voting for him to vote against Clinton.
Many voters think the nominees present some risk. Thirty six percent Of Ohio voters and 35 percent of Florida voters say that the things in the United States are going “so badly” that the country can “take a chance” in picking the next President.
