Poll: Trump Edges Out Clinton In Florida, Pennsylvania; Candidates Tie In Ohio
WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Donald Trump is boasting over new poll numbers Wednesday that show a tight race between the Republican presumptive nominee and his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.
According to Quinnipiac University poll, Trump is edging out Clinton in Florida and Pennsylvania while tying her in Ohio.
The poll found Trump had a three-point advantage over Clinton in Florida with 42 to 39 percent. In Pennsylvania, Trump lead the presumptive Democratic nominee 43 to 41 percent. In Ohio, the two were ties with 41 percent of support each.
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"Donald Trump enters the Republican Convention on a small roll in the three most important swing states in the country. He has wiped out Hillary Clinton's lead in Florida; is on the upside of too-close to call races in Florida and Pennsylvania and is locked in a dead heat in Ohio," Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, said in a statement.
Trump took to Twitter Wednesday to praise the poll numbers.
Clinton's spokesperson, Brian Fallon, said the campaign expects the battleground states to remain "close til the end" while also calling Trump "serious danger."
In a Quinnipiac poll three weeks ago, Clinton led Trump by eight points in Florida, by one point in Pennsylvania and were tied in Ohio.
Wednesday's poll was conducted from June 30 to July 11, when the final decision regarding the federal investigation into Clinton's email server while secretary of state were handed down.
Though the FBI recommended no criminal charges against Clinton, questions surrounding her private email use seemed to negatively impact her poll numbers, showing her losing ground with voters on questions of honesty and trustworthiness, CBS News reported.
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"While there is no definite link between Clinton's drop in Florida and the U.S. Justice Department decision not to prosecute her for her handling of emails, she has lost ground to Trump on questions which measure moral standards and honesty," Brown said.
If third-party candidates are added to the mix, Trump's lead increases in all three states.
He leads Clinton in Florida 41 to 36 percent, with seven percent for Libertarian party candidate Gary Johnson and four percent for the Green party's Jill Stein.
In Pennsylvania, Trump is at 40 percent to Clinton's 34 percent with Johnson at nine percent and Stein at three.
In Ohio, the poll found Trump at 37 percent compared to Clinton's 36 percent, with seven percent for Johnson and six percent for Stein.
The new survey comes as Trump has reached the final phase of his search for a running mate, narrowing his list to three leading contenders and directing his staff to prepare for a Friday announcement.
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were said to be the final contenders to the vice presidential candidate on the Republican ticket less than a week before the GOP meets in Cleveland for the formal nomination, CBS2's Dick Brennan reported.
All three have had "auditions'' as Trump's partner by opening for the billionaire candidate at speeches over the last week. Trump said in a Tuesday interview with The Wall Street Journal that Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions is also still in the mix.
Trump and some of his family members visited with Mike Pence Wednesday morning, just one day after the two campaigned together. Trump hinted the Indiana governor might be getting a new title, CBS News' Craig Boswell reported.
"You'll be calling up Mike Pence, I don't know whether he's going to be your governor or your Vice President, who the hell knows," Trump said.
Pence said he and Trump had a "great conversation about the country."
"Nothing was offered. Nothing was accepted," Pence said.
Trump's family, including Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, also met privately with Christie Tuesday.
Trump told the Wall Street Journal he's looking for an attack dog -- someone who is a "fighter skilled in hand-to-hand combat" to take on Clinton.
Clinton isn't shy about fighting back. She says Trump is unfit for office.
"Once again, Trump and his cronies are trying to pull the wool over our eyes and come back with the same failed policies that hurt us before," Clinton said.
Clinton will spend the rest of the day at fundraisers in Chicago and St. Louis.
There was more fall-out over Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg calling Trump a "faker," and a political opportunist who "says whatever comes into his head at the moment."
The New York Times editorial page blasted Ginsburg, saying she needs to drop the political punditry and the name-calling.
Trump said on Twitter Ginsburg "has embarrassed all by making very dumb political statements about me. Her mind is shot -- resign!"
House Speaker Paul Ryan also slammed Ginsburg.
"For someone on the Supreme Court, who is going to be calling balls and strikes in the future, based upon whatever the next president and Congress does, that strikes me as inherently biased and out of the realm," Ryan said.
The Clinton campaign would not criticize Ginsburg.
Trump is also suing former campaign aide Sam Nunberg. His lawyer said he is being accused of violating certain confidential agreements after he left the campaign.
For the poll, Quinnipiac surveyed 1,015 Florida voters with a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points; 955 Ohio voters with a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points; and 982 Pennsylvania voters with a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
