“I’m nervous. The country is in a bad mood. It’s such an unpredictable year.”

Democratic strategists acknowledge Clinton’s decades as a fixture of Washington’s power center is a liability but they hope to turn it into a strength by painting Trump as so unpredictable and unqualified that he’s not a viable choice.

Democratic strategists think that as Election Day nears and Trump’s chances of becoming president seem more real, voters will take a tougher look at his business record, his qualifications and his erratic rhetoric.

“Right now, if you don’t think Donald Trump can win, it’s easy to cast a protest vote for him. Once you do think he might actually become president, questions of his fitness and qualifications will become much more powerful and much more ripe,” said Garin, the Democratic pollster.

Still, if voters have long thought Trump would not win the White House, polls suggest that is changing.

The Los Angeles Times/USC tracking poll shows most respondents think Clinton will win but the gap has shrunk steadily over the past month.