Hillary opens up lead, say US pollsters

A NEW poll released yesterday suggests Hillary Clinton is enjoying a significant post-convention boost, indicating that she has opened up a 15-point lead over Donald Trump.

The survey, conducted nationwide on Friday and published by RABA Research, shows Clinton with 46pc support to Trump’s 31pc among likely voters, with Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson capturing 7pc.

A week earlier, Trump appeared to be enjoying his own post-convention bounce, with Clinton at 39pc and Trump at 34pc. Other polls at the time suggest the two candidates were virtually neck and neck. The new poll shows Clinton’s strongest lead yet, with a survey by Reuters/Ipsos on Friday putting Clinton at 41pc to Trump’s 35pc. Nearly 25pc of respondents picked “other”.

A separate Reuters/Ipsos survey that gave respondents the option to choose from Clinton, Trump, Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein, has Clinton and Trump tied at 37pc.

The latest figures show that there is still considerable volatility in support for both candidates. In a poll a week ago, Clinton lost ground among men and senior citizens; now she has opened up a seven-point lead among men, and earns 50pc support among women.

“After closing the gap to single digits last week, Trump’s post-convention bounce is gone,” said RABA Research.