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Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. (Getty)
Heading into the presidential debate, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are virtually tied in the polls, both nationally and in key battleground contests.
Trump has shaved points off Clinton’s lead in the past month. Her slide started in late August, erasing a bounce she received from the Democratic convention.
The tight contest raises the stakes for the first presidential debate, which will take place the evening of September 26. New polls show Trump in striking distance in Pennsylvania and Colorado, which are battleground states.
The candidates have been virtually tied for several weeks in national polling, though. Clinton’s dip in the polls was possibly exacerbated by her medical episode at the Sept. 11 memorial. The polls were also conducted after a week of unrest in Charlotte, North Carolina over a police shooting of an African-American man.
The RealClearPolitics polling average shows Clinton with a 2.5 percent lead, which is in the margin for error of most polls.
Here’s what you need to know about the key polls released on Sunday, September 25:
ABC News/Washington Post
| CANDIDATE | VOTE |
| Clinton | 49% |
| Trump | 47% |
The ABC News/Washington post poll was released on Sunday, September 25. If you add Gary Johnson and Jill Stein in, Clinton still has a 2 percent lead. However, that lead is in the margin for error of the poll, meaning the race is virtually tied.
The poll was conducted from September 19 through September 22.
LA Times/USC
| CANDIDATE | VOTE |
| Trump | 46% |
| Clinton | 42% |
Trump leads by 4 points in this daily tracking poll by the Los Angeles Times/USC. The poll was conducted September 25.
One noteworthy aspect of this poll: It has shown in recent days an uptick in support for Trump by African-American voters, although the majority still support Clinton.
Pennsylvania poll – Morning Call
| CANDIDATE | VOTE |
| Clinton | 44% |
| Trump | 41% |
One of the battleground state polls getting a lot of attention is this poll out of Pennsylvania Sunday that shows Clinton with a 3 percent lead, within the poll’s margin for error of 5 percent. However, Clinton’s lead narrows to 2 points when you add in Johnson and Stein. The poll was conducted between September 19 and 23.
Colorado Poll – CBS/YouGov
| CANDIDATE | VOTE |
| Clinton | 40% |
| Trump | 39% |
This Colorado poll released Sunday shows Clinton with a 1 percent lead, but that’s in the margin for error. The spread includes Johnson and Stein. The poll was conducted September 21 to September 23.
Two other state polls released Sunday show wider margins. Clinton leads in Virginia by 8 points in the CBS/You Gov poll, and Trump leads in Missouri by 9 in the same poll.