Poll: Clinton has 9-point lead over Trump

Hillary Clinton has a 9-point lead over Donald Trump nationally, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

{mosads}Clinton (D) is favored by 46 percent of likely voters, and Trump (R) is backed by 37 percent.

Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson has the support of 8 percent of likely voters, and Green Party nominee Jill Stein is backed by 2 percent.

In a head-to-head matchup, Clinton’s lead over Trump widens to 10 points, 50 percent to 40 percent.

The poll was conducted Oct. 8–10 and includes data from interviews conducted after the presidential debate on Sunday.

Among likely voters contacted after the debate — the second of three this fall — the Democratic nominee’s lead over Trump was only 7 points in both four-way and head-to-head matchups.

The poll also found more support for Trump among Republicans after the debate.

Nearly three-quarters of Republicans polled after the televised bout said the GOP House and Senate candidates should back Trump. Ahead of the debate, only 67 percent of likely voters said the same. 

Since Friday, GOP lawmakers and elected officials have been abandoning the party’s nominee in droves, after audio emerged of Trump making obscene remarks about groping women. In the tape, Trump described how he could grope and kiss women without their consent because of his celebrity status.

Following the debate, fewer people polled said the release of that 2005 tape should disqualify him from the race.

Thirty-six percent of likely voters asked after the debate said the tape was disqualifying and Trump should withdraw from the race; 47 percent disagreed.

Before the debate, 38 percent of likely voters said the tape was disqualifying, and 42 percent disagreed.

The poll was conducted Oct. 8-10 among 806 likely voters. The margin of error is 3.5 percentage points.

A PRRI/The Atlantic national poll released Tuesday — which was conducted Oct. 5-7, before the debate — showed Clinton with an 11-point lead, and Tuesday’s RealClearPolitics average of national polls put Clinton up 6.5 points.