WASHINGTON: Donald Trump is running neck-and-neck with Hillary Clinton, shows the latest Washington Post-ABC News opinion survey released on Sunday.

The narrow three-point lead that the former secretary of state has over her Republican rival indicates that potential voters for the 2016 presidential election have largely ignored Mr Trump’s anti-women and anti-immigrants rhetoric.

The survey results — 46 per cent for Ms Clinton and 43 for Mr Trump — also showed that the former secretary of state remains the lead contender, although the dispute over her use of a personal email address for official messages continues to hurt her.

While the two potential contenders for the White House were neck-and-neck (46 to 43) among registered voters, Ms Clinton enjoyed a wider support among all adults, 53-39.

The data come a long 14 months from the general election and before either party picks its nominee.

The Post noted that due to the email controversy, “Ms Clinton is looking less likely to be the Democratic nominee than before and Mr Trump more likely as the Republican one.”

The newspaper credited “the power of partisanship”, for bringing the less-popular Mr Trump into a “once-unthinkable position of nipping at Ms Clinton’s heels”.

The report also noted that Mr Trump’s improved performance against Ms Clinton among registered voters was unexpected, as Democrats “have a harder time turning out their supporters and usually fare better among broader samples of Americans”.

Ms Clinton has a very narrow advantage among all independents, at 45-39 — a six-point difference that is within the poll’s error margin. But among registered independents, the slight advantage flips to Trump, 44-39.

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2015

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