Presidential Polls Tighten; One Shows Trump Ahead
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's post-convention lead was shrinking Thursday, although she remained ahead in an average of national polls.
But as CBS2's Tony Aiello reported, Clinton slipped behind Republican nominee Donald Trump in a poll out on Thursday.
Trump got a warm welcome from the VFW Convention in Ohio, just hours after he started the day with a tweet reading, "Poll numbers way up – making big progress."
"The national polls really have tightened," said political scientist Christopher Malone of CUNY-Lehman College.
In an average of national polls, Clinton's eight-point post-convention lead is down to five points, and a Rasmussen poll on Thursday has Trump beating Clinton 40 percent to 39 percent.
"I think it goes back to the dislike that many people have for her," Malone said. "She hasn't had a good week to 10 days. The email situation is not going away. Her disapproval rating is still upper 50s, 60 percent."
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Clinton has kept a low profile, with just two public events in the last two weeks while attending 20 private fundraisers.
Surrogates, including Vice President Joe Biden, are on the stump attacking Trump.
"I don't believe the guy's a bad guy," Biden said. "I just think he is thoroughly, totally, completely uniformed."
The Trump campaign feels his visit to Mexico was a triumph, with "good optics" that had him sharing a stage with the president of the eleventh largest country in the world.
"We can work together to accomplish great things for both countries -- that's Mexico and the United States," Trump said in Mexico on Wednesday.
The national polls are an important indicator. But looking at the eight or so battleground states, many experts believe Clinton still has a measurable edge in getting 270 electoral votes.
Also on Thursday, more emails were released from her time as Secretary of State, including one where an aide at the Clinton Foundation asked aide Huma Abedin for help getting a diplomatic passport. Critics said the request was improper.
But a source told CBS2 the aide was arranging a secret trip to North Korea with former President Bill Clinton to rescue some imprisoned journalists, and ultimately did not receive the diplomatic passport.
