A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows a frighteningly large lead for Hillary Clinton, one so large that the loss of the House of Representatives to the Democrats becomes a real possibility.
The poll, taken between October 8-9, after the revelation of the 2005 videotape in which Trump made lewd comments about women, found Clinton leading in a two-way race by a whopping fourteen points among likely voters, 52% -38%, and thirteen points among registered voters, 51%-38%. In a four-way race in which Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein were included, Clinton garnered 46% among likely voters, while Trump got 35%, Johnson 9%, and Stein 2%. Among registered voters the numbers were: Clinton: 45%; Trump: 35%; Johnson: 9%; and Stein: 3%.
43% of voters described themselves as Democrats; 36% as Republicans.
Significantly, Democrats were more positive about Clinton than Republicans were about Trump; when Clinton supporters were asked whether they were more interested in voting for her rather than against Trump. 49% said they were voting for her; 44% said against Trump. But when Trump supporters were asked the same question, only 37% said they were voting for Trump; 52% said they were voting against Clinton. In 2004, 76% of Republicans said they were voting for George W. Bush as their chief motivation; only 14% said their motivation was voting against John Kerry.
49% of voters said they preferred a Democrat-controlled House; 42% said a GOP House. That 49% is the highest for the Democrats in at least five months.
34% of respondents saw themselves as conservatives; 27% as liberals. 40% of respondents had a college degree.
Vis-à-vis the videotape, 41% of voters thought Trump’s actions “completely unacceptable”; 31% said they were “inappropriate.” 52% of voters thought the videotape should be an issue in the campaign; 42% thought it should not. 67% of Republican voters thought Trump should remain the nominee; 23% said he should either drop out or felt that they would not support him.
