Donald Trump has lost only minimal support since the news broke about lewd comments he made 11 years ago, a new poll released Sunday shows, but Trump could face more slippage.
A Morning Consult/Politico survey taken Saturday found Trump with 38 percent support to Hillary Clinton’s 42 percent. Trump’s down from the 41-39 deficit he had on Oct. 5-6, just before the video surfaced Oct. 7.
The poll found 45 percent of voters said Trump should remain the race, while 39 percent wanted him out. Only 12 percent of Republicans said he should exit, despite increasing calls from party officials for him to leave. Trump has insisted he won’t.
Three of four Republicans said GOP leaders should stand by Trump.
New CBS polling in Ohio and Pennsylvania also found similar results. Fifty-four percent of Ohio voters and 51 percent of Pennsylvania voters said the news did little to change their view of Trump, and both states, generally nine of 10 Republicans said it did not change their view of him. There was a gender gap. In Pennsylvania, 53 percent of women and 42 percent of men said it made their view of Trump worse.
While it’s too soon to know if the video will change attitudes much, “the initial reaction to is suggests that it will certainly be on voters’ minds in tonight’s debate,” wrote Anthony Salvanto, CBS News elections director, Sunday.
CBS’ poll found the response of women notable because “Trump was already facing deficits among women voters and in particular among women with college degrees.”
David Lightman: 202-383-6101, @lightmandavid