Story highlights The poll, conducted after Tuesday's vice presidential debate, marks a climb for Clinton

The Democratic nominee leads Trump 45% to 40% among likely voters

Washington (CNN) A boost in independent support is helping power Hillary Clinton to a 5-point national lead over Donald Trump, according to a Quinnipiac University survey released Friday.

The Democratic nominee leads Trump 45% to 40% among likely voters, with Libertarian Gary Johnson receiving 6% of voter support and Green Party nominee Jill Stein getting 3%.

Nearly half -- 46% -- of independent voters are backing the Democratic candidate while just under a third -- 32% -- of independent voters are backing Trump. Johnson gets 10% of their vote.

The poll, conducted after Tuesday's vice presidential debate, marks a climb for Clinton after Quinnipiac's most recent poll on September 26, when she was clinging to a 1 point advantage over Trump.

In that survey, independents were backing Trump 42% to Clinton's 35%, with 15% behind Johnson.

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