Latest Presidential Polls 2016: Trump vs. Clinton Is Close With Clinton Slightly Ahead

Donald Trump is in a close race with Hillary Clinton heading into the debates. (Getty)

Heading into the debates, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton find themselves in a close contest. According to RealClear Politics, Clinton has a slight edge with an average lead of 2.1 percentage points.

Two of the most recent polls conducted by Quinnipiac and Bloomberg show the race is virtually even between the two candidates. Trump has been slightly gaining on Clinton in polls conducted within the last month, but the debates could help or hurt both candidates depending on their performance. Clinton is coming out of a particularly rough news cycle after battling pneumonia and passing out at a September 11th event.

The September 26th debate marks the first time the two candidates have squared off in-person. Predict Wise gives Clinton a 68 percent chance of winning in November while FiveThirtyEight’s projections have narrowed in the last month.

FiveThirtyEight’s Polls-Plus model takes into account the polls as well as historical data to provide a presidential election projection in real-time. The latest data gives Clinton a 53.8 percent chance of winning the election. Trump has gained considerable ground on her since the conventions.

Here’s a look at the latest polls.

RealClear Politics Average: Trump vs. Clinton

RealClear Politics keeps a running average of the Trump vs. Clinton polls. The average includes data from eight polls. The Quinnipiac poll conducted September 22-25, the Bloomberg poll conducted September 21-24, the LA Times/USC Tracking poll conducted September 19-25, the ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted September 19-22, the Economist/YouGov poll conducted September 22-24, the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll conducted September 16-19, the McClatchy/Marist poll conducted September 15-20 and the Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted September 15-19.

Quinnipiac

The Quinnipiac poll was conducted September 22-25. It has a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.

Bloomberg

The Bloomberg poll was conducted September 21-24. It has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.

LA Times/USC Tracking

The LA Times/USC Tracking poll was conducted September 19-25. It has a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.

ABC News/Washington Post

The ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted September 19-22. It has a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.

Economist/YouGov

The Economist/YouGov poll was conducted September 22-24. It has a margin of error of 3.8 percentage points.

NBC News/Wall Street Journal

The NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll was conducted September 16-19. It has a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.

McClatchy/Marist

The McClatchy/Marist poll was conducted September 15-20. It has a margin of error of 3.6 percentage points.

Reuters/Ipsos

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted September 15-19. It has a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.

RealClear Politics Average: Trump vs. Clinton vs. Johnson vs. Stein

RealClear Politics also keeps a running average of the four-way polling numbers. The average includes data from 10 polls. The Quinnipiac poll conducted September 22-25, the Bloomberg poll conducted September 21-24, the Monmouth poll conducted September 22-25, the ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted September 19-22, the Economist/YouGov poll conducted September 22-24, the NBC News/SM poll conducted September 19-25, the Rasmussen Reports poll conducted September 20-21, the Gravis poll conducted September 20, the McClatchy/Marist poll conducted September 15-20 and the Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted September 15-19.

Bloomberg: Trump vs. Clinton vs. Johnson vs. Stein

The Bloomberg four-way poll was conducted September 21-24. It has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.