Update: The Latest Polling From Battleground States

A new set of polls, released on November 2, has found that Hillary Clinton has maintained small leads over Donald Trump in a number of crucial swing states.

A series of Quinnipiac University surveys in Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania, determined that Clinton leads in three of the four battleground states, while Trump has crept ahead by five points in Ohio.

“After a two-year campaign which has produced the most unpopular presidential candidates in American history, the election comes down – as it historically does – to a handful of swing states,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

A full 46 percent of Ohio respondents selected Trump as their preferred candidate, while 41 percent of voters in the state went with Clinton. Both have similar numbers of support from their respective parties, but more and more independents in the state are pledging loyalty to Trump, who holds a commanding 18 percent lead among the demographic.

“The 48 – 30 percent lead for Donald Trump among independent voters is pretty overwhelming,” said Brown. “Ohio has a large number of voters that the Trump campaign has targeted. The Buckeye state is full of those who feel they have lost their jobs because of unfair trade treaties, and non-college educated whites.”

Clinton is five points ahead of Trump in Pennsylvania, where 48 percent of voters preferred her and 43 percent supported Trump. The Democratic nominee also led by a narrow three-point margin in North Carolina, with 47 percent to Trump’s 44 percent, while the pair landed in a statistical tie in Florida, with 46 points for Clinton and 45 for Trump.

The four states are expected to be crucial in determining the 2016 presidential election.

“No one has been elected president since 1960 without carrying two of the key swing states, Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania,” explained Brown. “And, this year, North Carolina has been added to the mix. All four of these key states remain close entering the final days.”

In other swing states, Clinton has a roughly five-point lead in Michigan, New Hampshire, Virginia and Wisconsin and has a 2.5-point lead in Colorado, while Trump leads by approximately one and half points in both Iowa and Nevada, notes Real Clear Politics.

Sources: Quinnipiac University, ​Real Clear Politics (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) / Photo Credit: Mortimer62/Flickr