Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:26 pm
At least eight national polls were released on Thursday, according to RealClearPolitics, and a grand total of zero show Donald Trump beating Hillary Clinton.
That’s right – not a single one shows Trump ahead in this race.
Here’s a quick rundown of the polls released today:
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CNBC: Clinton +9
ABC News: Clinton +6
Pew: Clinton +6
Economist/YouGov: Clinton +5
IBD/TIPP: Clinton +2
Rasmussen: Clinton +1
Gravis: Clinton +1
LA Times: Tied
Overall, the Democratic nominee is beating Trump by an average of 5.4 points with just 12 days to go – and as millions of Americans have already cast their ballots.
On the Electoral College front, RealClearPolitics shows that Clinton is ahead in states that total 333 electoral votes. One of the states she leads in is Arizona –  a red state before Republicans nominated Trump.
To put things in perspective, Barack Obama was leading Mitt Romney by just a single percentage point on this day in 2012. That is what you call a close presidential contest, and Obama still went on to easily win.
Yet, as I write, CNN and other cable news networks continue to plaster the “close race” chyron all over their networks, claiming Donald Trump is making it a race again.
Here’s the thing: the contest between Clinton and Trump may be naturally tightening in a few polls, but that doesn’t mean it’s becoming a close race. It’s clear that, despite any one poll showing Trump gaining ground, Clinton still has a pretty durable lead.
|@FiveThirtyEight tackles question everyone is asking: Is the Presidential race tightening? (Answer: Not by much.) https://t.co/XoMxzleajd pic.twitter.com/Gq5O47rNsv
— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) October 26, 2016
While the media looks silly for trying to make the Clinton-Trump race seem like a nail-biter for the ages, there is also some good that can come of it – besides high TV ratings.
Clinton supporters who may have previously assumed the race was in the bag for their candidate and were becoming complacent now may recognize, at least if they watch cable news, that the “race is becoming close again.”
This should provide a last-minute boost of energy among voters who fear a Trump presidency.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
