In a four-way race, 45 percent of likely voters surveyed by Fox said they support Hillary Clinton, while 38 percent said they intend to vote for Donald Trump. | AP Photo Fox national poll: Clinton leads Trump by 7

Hillary Clinton is ahead of Donald Trump by 7 percentage points in the latest Fox News national poll, which the network conducted after Sunday’s second presidential debate and released on Thursday.

In a four-way race, 45 percent of likely voters surveyed by Fox said they support Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president, while 38 percent said they intend to vote for Trump, her Republican rival. Libertarian Gary Johnson came in at 7 percent and the Green Party’s Jill Stein received the support of 3 percent of surveyed voters.


In a one-on-one race, Clinton leads Trump 49 percent to 41.

The survey signals a drop in support for Trump and a slight increase for Clinton, who is emerging as the clear favorite to win the presidency as Trump slides in the wake a series of controversies that have troubled his candidacy since his poor performance in the first general-election debate. The previous Fox News poll, conducted Oct. 3 to 6, showed a slight lead for Clinton in a four-way race, with 44 percent of voters polled supporting her and 42 percent supporting Trump.

Trump’s standing in the race, the latest poll confirms, is taking a hit as his campaign faces a string of awful news cycles. The biggest revelation came last Friday, when news broke that Trump had been recorded bragging about sexual assault in 2005. Many Republicans condemned those comments and even prompted some to call on him to drop out of the race. He apologized for the remarks but also dismissed them as “locker room talk.”

The poll, conducted from Monday to Wednesday, accounts for that news, but not for all of the scandal’s fallout, which is still unfolding. Since Wednesday evening, several women have come forward in wake of the tape to accuse him of unwanted sexual advances, claims he has denied.

Fox reports that likely voters remain deeply skeptical of his qualifications to be president. More than half — 56 percent — said he is “not at all” or “not very” qualified for the job. Seventy-seven percent say he is not a good role model for children.

Trump’s favorability ratings declined, too, while Clinton’s went up, though both candidates are in the negatives. Trump is now viewed unfavorably by 61 percent of surveyed voters, compared with 38 percent who have a positive opinion of him, for a net of negative 23. Clinton is at negative 5 overall, with 52 percent of surveyed voters reporting having a negative view of her and 47 percent saying they view her favorably.

Trump’s drop proved true for Republican voters, too; only 73 percent said they view him favorably, compared with 84 percent in the last poll. Trump has also seen a decrease in the proportion of voters who believe he is honest and trustworthy; 32 percent of likely voters surveyed agreed with that sentiment, roughly as many as believe Clinton is honest and trustworthy (33 percent).

A majority of voters, according to Fox, think Trump is headed for defeat in November: 65 percent predict a Clinton presidency.