Mike Davis

@byMikeDavis

WEST LONG BRANCH - Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has opened up a 12-point lead over Republican nominee Donald Trump, according to the most recent Monmouth University national poll.

According to the poll, 46 percent of registered voters support Clinton while 34 percent support Trump. Among likely voters, Clinton has 50 percent support while Trump has 37 percent.

In both scenarios, Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson garnered 7 percent of the vote and Green Party candidate Jill Stein took 2 percent.

For Clinton, it's a nine-point jump since before the Republican and Democratic national conventions, when a Monmouth University poll gave Clinton a slim 3-point margin over Trump.

“The dust is starting to settle on the tag-team conventions, with the net advantage going to Clinton,” said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.

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A main difference between the candidates lies in support within their party base. Clinton has the support of 92 percent of Democrats, up from 88 percent in July, while only 79 percent of Republicans are behind Trump.

Meanwhile, independent voters have become a toss-up between the candidates: Trump holds a 2-point margin over Clinton among independent voters, compared to a nine-point lead last month. Johnson, the Libertarian candidate, has seen his support nearly double among independent voters, now commanding 16 percent of the vote.

Clinton also holds an eight-point lead among voters in seven swing states that were decided by less than seven points in the 2012 presidential election. She has the support of 42 percent of voters, compared to the 34 percent who support Trump.

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Both candidates remain historically unpopular, according to the Monmouth University poll: About 37 percent of voters have a favorable opinion of Clinton, compared to 26 percent who hold a favorable opinion of Trump.

But Clinton is seen as more "temperamentally suited" for the White House, despite concerns over her use of a private email server.

About 64 percent of voters have said she has not been honest about using a private email account, up from 52 percent in an October poll. A nearly identical portion of voters, 63 percent, have said they're "tired of hearing about the email issue," echoing statements by one-time Democratic rival Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vermont, who uttered the phrase during a primary debate.

During her time as secretary of state, Clinton used a private email account on her own server rather than a federal email account stored on government servers. Last month, the FBI criticized Clinton's activities as "extremely careless" but no charges were filed by the Justice Department.

“Love her or hate her, and frankly most voters come closer to the latter sentiment, Clinton clearly tops Trump on the ‘steady hand’ test,” Murray said. "Clinton’s email problem continues to dog her, but it’s a negative that may have already maxed out its potential impact.”

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Clinton continues to hold overwhelming majorities among minority groups, with 69 percent of support among black, Asian American and Hispanic voters, compared to the 10 percent that support Trump. Her 59-point lead among these groups is one point higher than President Barack Obama's lead among those groups in his 2012 reelection bid.

Trump holds a lead over Clinton among:

Non-Hispanic white voters, 43 percent to 38 percent

White men without a college degree, 56 percent to 25 percent

White men with a college degree, 45 percent to 34 percent

White women without a college degree, 49 percent to 32 percent.

Among white women with a college degree, Clinton leads Trump by 30 points, about 57 percent to 27 percent.

Other findings in the Monmouth University poll include:

About 27 percent of voters feel that Trump has the right "temperament" to serve as president, a five-point decrease from a July poll.

About 61 percent of voters feel Clinton is "temperamentally suited," up from 52 percent in July.

Voters are divided among whether Trump is "too friendly" toward Russia, with 45 percent saying they're concerned and 49 percent saying they're not concerned.

Voter optimism and enthusiasm has dropped from 69 percent to 55 percent over the last 14 months.

Vice presidential nominees Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, hold favorability ratings at 31 percent and 33 percent, respectively.

Mike Davis: 732-643-4223; mdavis@gannettnj.com