Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump leads Democratic rival Hillary Clinton by only 4 percentage points in solidly red Texas, according to a new poll. That’s within the margin of error.
The WFAA/SurveyUSA poll found Trump beating Clinton 47 percent to 43 percent — a remarkably close margin in a state that the last two GOP nominees carried by double digits. The poll’s margin of error is 4 percent.
Across the country, Trump’s poll numbers have been sliding following the release Friday of a 2005 clip showing him speaking lewdly about women. SurveyUSA conducted the poll between Monday and Wednesday, according to WFAA.
The 4-point margin may be Trump’s smallest lead in Texas yet, but it is not far from what prior polls have found. Trump has consistently led Clinton by single digits, including by 7 points in a KTVT-CBS 11/Dixie Strategies Poll released Oct. 5.
The last Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, won Texas by 16 points. John McCain, the party’s standard bearer in 2008, carried the state by 12 points.
For the poll, SurveyUSA interviewed 800 adults — 734 of whom are registered to vote — over three days. 638 were considered likely to vote.
Read more:
- The 2005 clip caused many Texas Republicans to condemn Trump’s remarks, but none pulled his or her support for him.
- The 2016 presidential race has sparked an unusual discussion: Is ruby-red Texas competitive?
Learn about The Texas Tribune’s policies, including our partnership with The Trust Project to increase transparency in news.
