Trump Takes National Lead After Convention

Leah Barkoukis | July 25, 2016 7:52 AM

After the Republican National Convention, GOP nominee Donald Trump has taken the lead over rival Hillary Clinton in a national poll released Monday morning.

Trump is now ahead of Clinton in both a two-way matchup and a four-way matchup.

Donald Trump comes out of his convention ahead of Hillary Clinton in the race for the White House, topping her 44% to 39% in a four-way matchup including Gary Johnson (9%) and Jill Stein (3%) and by three points in a two-way head-to-head, 48% to 45%. That latter finding represents a 6-point convention bounce for Trump, which are traditionally measured in two-way matchups.

This is the best Trump has polled against the former secretary of state in a CNN/ORC survey since September 2015, and this has much to do with the increase in support he received among independents, 43 percent of whom said that after the convention they’d be more willing to back him.

But he also fared better in terms of favorability, personal image, and his ability to manage important issues.

Beyond boosting his overall support, Trump's favorability rating is also on the rise (46% of registered voters say they have a positive view, up from 39% pre-convention), while his advantage over Clinton on handling top issues climbs. He now holds double-digit margins over Clinton as more trusted on the economy and terrorism. Trump also cut into Clinton's edge on managing foreign policy (50% said they trusted her more, down from 57% pre-convention).

The convention also helped Trump make strides in his personal image. A majority (52%) now say Trump is running for president for the good of the country rather than personal gain, just 44% say the same about Clinton. He's increased the share who call him honest and trustworthy (from 38% to 43%), and who would be proud to have him as president (from 32% to 39%). And nearly half now say he's in touch with the problems ordinary Americans face in their daily lives (46% say so, 37% did before the convention).

Despite Democratic criticism of the Republican convention's message as divisive, the percentage who say Trump will unite the country rather than divide it has increased to 42%, compared with 34% pre-convention.