A number of polls in recent days have actually shown that Trump's image remains very poor but actually largely static. It hasn't really declined. Clinton's numbers, in contrast, have meaningfully improved with likely voters.

To be clear: Clinton's numbers are still not very good and generally underwater — i.e., more people dislike her than like her — but they are improved. And that at least partially explains her improved standing. It also, by the way, gives her hope for having somewhat of a mandate if she's elected president.

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A CNN poll this week showed 46 percent of likely voters have a favorable opinion of Clinton, while 52 percent have an unfavorable one. Those are her best numbers since May and the second-best numbers she has recorded all year.

Similarly, a USA Today/Suffolk University poll this week showed Clinton's favorable rating (46 percent) pulling almost even with her unfavorable (47 percent). Back in April, that split was 37-54.

And a Bloomberg poll last week put Clinton's split at 47-52 — her best numbers since April 2015, before she launched her 2016 campaign.

Clinton's numbers now provide a real contrast to Trump's unprecedentedly bad image numbers. His RealClearPolitics average is now 38 percent favorable and 59 percent unfavorable.

Why is that important? Well, because the more popular candidate almost always wins, as Philip Bump wrote back in July.

And there was a time when both Trump and Clinton actually had pretty similar numbers. A late August Washington Post-ABC News poll showed Clinton's numbers with registered voters were basically the same as Trump's — 38-59 for Clinton versus 37-60 for Trump.

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There was also a time between the conventions in July when Clinton's numbers were even slightly worse than Trump's in some polling. At both junctures, Clinton's numbers were worse than at any point in her quarter-century in national politics.

Today, she appears to be, at the very least, a more acceptable choice for many swing voters who didn't used to like her. Most of them still may not like her, but improvement is improvement.

So why is this happening? Part of it could be the charm offensive her campaign has used in its advertising. While campaigns this late tend to be very negative — and Clinton's campaign has certainly hit Trump with some brutal ads — they have also taken care to run some emotive, positive ads about Clinton. Witness here, here and here.

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Another part is undoubtedly the debates, in which Trump was bad, yes, but Clinton was also just plain good. Polls judged her the winner of all three for a reason. She was studied, versed on the issues and didn't really have any bad moments.

Clinton still has clear vulnerabilities when it comes to her personal image — not least of which is the perception that she's not honest and trustworthy. A Fox News poll this week showed her numbers as poor as ever on that count.