One caveat worth noting is that there is a significant percentage of the population that remains undecided, or at least undeclared, in the current polls. A Washington Post-ABC News survey released last week pointed to the reasons why. The survey measured only the favorability ratings for the two presumptive nominees, and it was another bleak indicator of the unhappy choice Americans see before them.
Clinton’s favorable rating was just 43 percent — about the same number she is drawing in a ballot test — while her unfavorable rating was 55 percent. Trump’s favorable rating was a crippling 29 percent, with 70 percent of the public saying they have an unfavorable view of him. A majority of adults — 56 percent — said they have a strongly unfavorable view of him, including one-fifth of all Republicans.
When the electorate is divided into different population groups, it’s even clearer how much trouble Trump has created for himself. Trump’s base during the primaries was among white, working-class voters. But it’s become apparent that his real base is among white men. Among white men without a college degree, he’s actually in positive territory. Among white women without a college degree, he’s not.
Overlooked perhaps is Clinton’s image deficit among whites, particularly among white men. Just 23 percent of white men view her favorably, compared with 75 percent unfavorable. But she counters with strongly positive numbers among nonwhites, who are 2 to 1 positive about her.
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