Dave Boucher

dboucher@tennessean.com

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is still the clear favorite to take Tennessee in the general election, but a new poll found Tennesseans don't necessarily agree with some of their elected GOP leaders on at least one controversial gun issue.

Trump leads Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton by 16 percentage points in a new poll from icitizen, a Nashville-based polling agency. The online poll found that among 531 people who said they were registered voters, 49 percent favored Trump with 33 percent supporting Clinton and 18 percent undecided. The poll was conducted from July 25 to July 27, days after the Republican National Convention and during the Democratic National Convention.

As might be expected given those poll numbers, Clinton's favorability ratings were upside down in the new poll. Only 32 percent of respondents said they viewed Clinton favorably, compared to 64 percent who view her unfavorably. Even with his polling advantage over Clinton, 50 percent of those polled said they had an unfavorable view of Trump, compared to 43 percent who said they did favor the outspoken businessman.

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A May poll from Vanderbilt University showed Trump with a 9-point lead in the race. The Real Clear Politics average of recent national polls shows Clinton ahead by about 4 percentage points.

Tennesseans diverged wildly from most federal lawmakers representing the Volunteer State when it comes to banning gun purchases for people on a "no-fly list." Almost nine in 10 voters polled — 86 percent — said they favored a federal law that would block individuals on a "no-fly list" from buying a gun. In contrast, both U.S. Senators Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander, along with most other Republican members of Tennessee federal delegation, oppose such a law.

"Under current law, if you are buying a gun, your background check will reveal if you are on the no-fly list," Alexander told the Memphis Commercial Appeal in December. "The FBI will be notified and has three days to decide whether there is a sufficient reason to block the sale and prevent you from buying the gun."

Corker and Alexander both had high favorability rankings, with 50 percent of registered voters who were polled saying they supported each compared to roughly 30 percent who said they opposed the senators. As has been the case in the past, Gov. Bill Haslam by far had the highest favorability among all officials included in the poll: 63 percent of registered voters polled said they support the Knoxville Republican.

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Respondents said they were concerned about racism and race relations in their community. More than half of registered voters said racial discrimination against minorities is a serious problem in Tennessee, and 53 percent said racism around the country worsened in recent years. About eight in 10 respondents said they feel safe around law enforcement officers, but 58 percent said law enforcement needs to reform its practices in working with minority communities.

The poll also included questions on transit issues, body cameras for police and on incentives for the television show "Nashville."

Reach Dave Boucher at 615-259-8892 and on Twitter @Dave_Boucher1.