Clinton Leads Trump by 10 Points in New Poll of Likely Voters
— -- Hillary Clinton garnered a majority of the support in a new poll released today, passing 50 percent in a head-to-head matchup with Donald Trump and solidifying a lead built up after the party conventions a month ago.
The poll, conducted by Quinnipiac University, shows Clinton receiving 51 percent support from likely voters, giving her a 10 point margin over Donald Trump. The GOP nominee was backed by 41 percent of those surveyed, with a margin of error of +/- 2.5 points.
With third-party candidates included, the gap between the Democratic and Republican nominees shrinks to 7 points. In a four-way poll including independent nominees, Clinton received 45 percent to Trump's 38 percent. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein drew 10 and 4 percent, respectively.
A large number of respondents took issue with Trump's ongoing refusal to release his tax returns, including those in his party. Seventy-four percent of all those polled and 62 percent of those who identified as Republicans believe that he should release his returns.
Trump has claimed that an IRS audit prevents him from disclosing how much he paid in 2015. Earlier this morning, he received criticism on the issue from a notable member of his party, Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah, who told CNN that anyone running for president has to "open up your kimono and show everything."
Both candidates continue to receive negative favorability ratings: Clinton's divide is 41 percent favorable to 53 percent unfavorable, while Trump's is 33 percent favorable to 61 percent unfavorable.
A large split emerges in responses about the nominees' qualifications to hold the presidency. Sixty-six percent view Clinton as qualified, while only 40 percent said the same for Donald Trump.
Though 37 percent of participants in the poll say they would consider voting for a third-party candidate, most say they have made up their minds already: 90 percent indicated they don't believe they will change the candidate they are supporting before the election.
