Suffolk University/Boston Globe Poll Shows Statistical Dead Heat in N.H., with 2-Point Advantage for Clinton

BOSTON —Democrat Hillary Clinton (44 percent) leads Republican Donald Trump (42
percent) in a Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll of New Hampshire voters. The
2-point margin represents a toss-up, as the results are within the poll’s
statistical margin of error.

“There are just two sets of persuadable voters remaining in New Hampshire’s
presidential contest: undecided voters and voters for third-party candidates,” said
David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center in
Boston. “Each group polls in the mid-to-high single digits, but voters abandoning
the major parties to vote for Libertarian Gary Johnson could determine the outcome
in New Hampshire.”

The poll showed 5 percent of voters supporting Johnson and 1 percent Green Party
nominee Jill Stein, with 7 percent undecided. Also on the New Hampshire ballot is
Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente of the American Delta Party, but he did not receive any
support in the poll.

Gender and gun-owner preferences

Among women, Clinton led Trump 51 percent to Trump’s 35 percent, with Johnson
receiving 6 percent. In contrast, men preferred Trump 49 percent to Clinton’s 36
percent, while Johnson received 5 percent.

Among gun-owner households in New Hampshire, Trump led 53 percent to 33 percent,
with Johnson at 4 percent. Non-gun-owner households preferred Clinton 54 percent to
Trump’s 32 percent, with Johnson at 6 percent.

“The demographics of gender and gun ownership are inversely parallel,” said
Paleologos.

Nearly 6 in 10 likely New Hampshire voters said neither Clinton nor Trump were
honest and trustworthy. In terms of personal popularity, Trump fared worse, with a
57 percent unfavorable-36 favorable rating, compared to Clinton’s 49 percent
unfavorable-43 percent favorable.

According to the latest voter registration statistics in New Hampshire, registered
Republicans outnumber registered Democrats 32 percent to 29 percent, while 39
percent are “undeclared” or independent voters.

U.S. Senate race

In the race for the U.S. Senate seat in New Hampshire, Republican incumbent Kelly
Ayotte (47 percent) leads Gov. Maggie Hassan, a Democrat, (41 percent), Libertarian
Brian Chabot (3 percent) and independent Aaron Day (1 percent), with 6 percent
undecided.

“Here you also have two well-known candidates and a low undecided,” said Paleologos.
“However, Hassan’s unfavorable rating is almost equal to her favorable rating which
is a significant change from her past popularity ratings.”

Both Ayotte and Hassan have seen their popularities decline since a Suffolk
University New Hampshire poll looked at their favorability ratings in October 2014.
Ayotte stood at 54 percent favorable to 31 percent unfavorable two years ago, while
today 48 percent of voters view her favorably and 33 percent do not. However,
Hassan’s popularity has dropped even more, from 50 percent favorable – 33 percent
unfavorable two years ago to 42 percent favorable – 40 percent unfavorable today.

Governor’s race

In the race for governor, Republican Chris Sununu (40 percent) leads Democrat Colin
Van Ostern (36 percent), with 20 percent undecided.

“The undecided voters are the biggest factor in the governor’s race,” said
Paleologos. “Sununu bears a familiar family name in NH politics. Yet even with the
advantage of name recognition, and with half of the voters unfamiliar with Van
Ostern, this race is a statistical dead heat.”

Among those voters who have heard of both candidates, the race is tied at 40 percent.

History of Suffolk research in New Hampshire

In the 2014 New Hampshire general election, the final Suffolk University poll
predicted a 3-point win for Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen over Republican Scott
Brown; Shaheen won by 3 percent.

Methodology

The statewide survey of 500 likely general election voters was conducted October
3-5, 2016, using live telephone interviews and a split sample of landline and cell
phone numbers. The margin of error is +/-4.4 percentage points at a 95 percent level
of confidence. Marginals and full cross-tabulation data are posted on the Suffolk
University Political Research Center website: www.suffolk.edu/SUPRC. For more
information, contact David Paleologos at 781-290-9310, dpaleologos@suffolk.edu.

—–

Suffolk University, located in historic downtown Boston, with an international
campus in Madrid, is a student-centered institution distinguished by excellence in
education and scholarship. Suffolk University offers a wide range of undergraduate
and graduate programs in more than 90 areas of study. Its mission is to empower
graduates to be successful locally, regionally and globally. If you would rather not
receive future communications from Suffolk University, let us know by clicking
here.Suffolk University, 8 Ashburton Place, Boston, MA 02108 United States