WEBCommentary Editor

Author: Bob Webster
Date:  September 15, 2016

Topic category:  Elections - Politics, Polling, etc.

Clinton Plunges, Trump Surges in LA Times/USC Daily Tracking Poll


Clinton's campaign gaffes and health issues on top of corruption and honesty problems appear to be bleeding support from Clinton's poll numbers. Meanwhile, Trump has managed to continue a more positive campaign tone. These have combined to produce striking changes in current polling data and provide the basis for a strong downward trend for Clinton and a strong upward trend for Trump in polling data.

An analysis of the trend of polling suggests the Hillary Clinton campaign has more problems than charges of "pay to play" corruption and serial dishonesty.

Clinton's continuing health issues came to the forefront with her very public problems, including her dramatic collapse during her early departure from a 9-11 memorial this past Sunday. As has become standard for the Clinton campaign, answers to reasonable questions about her health have not been forthcoming nor have they been complete. The efforts taken to avoid disclosure of her health record is a sure sign that there is something being kept from the public for fear it could harm her election chances. However, the mere fact of this withholding serves the same end. Why not just disclose the complete story and end all the speculation?

The "basket of deplorables" statement completely undermines the Clinton campaign's efforts to capitalize on any intemperate remarks made by Donald Trump. Candidates will make mistakes in the heat of the moment, yet in the case of the "deplorables" comment (repeated on two occasions), it came as a scripted part of Clinton's speech, clearly vetted by her campaign in advance. Is this just more of a "divide and conquer" strategy? Apparently, as it was accompanied by references to Republicans as "racist, homophobic, xenophobic, misogynist", etc., etc., a dishonest divisive tactic that is getting very old and stale.

On the positive side for Trump, Carly Fiorina is encouraging voters to choose Trump over Clinton. Fiorina, who had pledged to support the eventual GOP nominee, is living up to her word. Fiorina's support is an important boost to the Trump campaign.

As a consequence of Clinton's campaign stumbles and a more even tone for the Trump campaign, the current analysis of poll numbers has to be bad news for Clinton's campaign and encouraging news for the Trump campaign:

2016 election polling trend for Clinton and Trump

The curves above show for each date the difference between each candidate's poll number for that date and the overall average between August 13 and September 14. The trend of the deviations from the average are also shown and indicate Trump has a strong upward trend while Clinton has a strong downward trend. These trends will be difficult to shift and give momentum in their respective directions for each candidate. Good news for Trump, very bad news for Clinton.

In addition to the overall poll numbers, Trump has improved his standing in a number of key demographics:

The overall trends and the underlying movement in key demographics all point to an improvement for Trump and a continued decline for the Clinton campaign.

Bob Webster
WEBCommentary (Editor, Publisher)


Biography - Bob Webster

Author of "Looking Out the Window", an evidence-based examination of the "climate change" issue, Bob Webster, is a 12th-generation descendent of both the Darte family (Connecticut, 1630s) and the Webster family (Massachusetts, 1630s). He is a descendant of Daniel Webster's father, Revolutionary War patriot Ebenezer Webster, who served with General Washington. Bob has always had a strong interest in early American history, our Constitution, U.S. politics, and law. Politically he is a constitutional republican with objectivist and libertarian roots. He has faith in the ultimate triumph of truth and reason over deception and emotion. He is a strong believer in our Constitution as written and views the abandonment of constitutional restraint by the regressive Progressive movement as a great danger to our Republic. His favorite novel is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand and believes it should be required reading for all high school students so they can appreciate the cost of tolerating the growth of unconstitutional crushingly powerful central government. He strongly believes, as our Constitution enshrines, that the interests of the individual should be held superior to the interests of the state.

A lifelong interest in meteorology and climatology spurred his strong interest in science. Bob earned his degree in Mathematics at Virginia Tech, graduating in 1964.


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