Poll: Clinton Up by 9 Points in Pennsylvania

Thanks to Philly, naturally. The numbers were released Thursday by Suffolk University.

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A new poll from Suffolk University in Boston shows Hillary Clinton leading Donald Trump by 9 points in Pennsylvania, an important battleground state in the general election this November. In a head-to-head matchup, 50 percent of likely voters said they plan to vote for Clinton, while 41 percent said they would vote for Trump, according to the poll. In a four-way race, Clinton 46 percent, Trump had 37 percent, libertarian Gary Johnson had 5 percent, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein had 3 percent.

“At this point Clinton’s large lead in the Philadelphia area is offsetting losses to Trump in other parts of the state,” said David Paleologos, the director of the Suffolk University Research Center, in a press release. “She also is amassing the support of women and thus drowning out Trump’s marginal lead among men.”

The poll, released Thursday, also showed Democrat Katie McGinty with a solid lead over Republican incumbent Pat Toomey, 43 percent to 36 percent, in Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race. Twenty percent of voters were still undecided in that race.

The poll was conducted earlier this week. Pollsters spoke with 500 likely voters in Pennsylvania. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.4 percent. Presidential candidates typically see a spike in polling numbers during and after their parties’ conventions.

Pennsylvania is perpetually seen as a swing state, even though a majority of voters have pulled for Democrats in every presidential election since 1992.

Hilary Clinton is scheduled to accept the Democratic nomination tonight. Katie McGinty is also schedule to speak.

Follow @jaredbrey on Twitter.