Donald Trump

Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, waves as he walks onto a stage for a rally Saturday, May 7, 2016, in Lynden, Wash.

(Elaine Thompson, Associated Press)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Donald Trump is holding a narrow lead over Hillary Clinton among Ohio voters in a race that's still too close to call, according to a new poll.

However, neither is particularly well liked by Ohioans, with most saying neither are honest or trustworthy.

The poll, released Tuesday morning by Quinnipiac University, found Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, led Clinton 43 percent to 39 percent in Ohio. This compares to the university's last poll in late February, which found Trump leading Clinton 44 percent to 42 percent.

Meanwhile, the poll found Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders leads Trump in Ohio 44 percent to 42 percent. However, Clinton, the former First Lady and secretary of state, is considered to be the Democratic presidential frontrunner and carries a sizable lead in her party's delegate race. The four other most recent Ohio polls show Clinton with a lead over Trump that is trending downward -- by as much as 7 points in early March, and as little as 3 points in late April, according to RealClearPolitics.

"Six months from Election Day, the presidential races between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in the three most crucial states, Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania, are too close to call," Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac Poll, said in a written statement. "At this juncture, Trump is doing better in Pennsylvania than the GOP nominees in 2008 and 2012. And the two candidates are about where their party predecessors were at this point in Ohio and Florida."

The poll is the first released in Ohio since Trump effectively clinched the GOP nomination. The university surveyed 1,042 voters, using cell phones and land lines, between April 27 and May 8. That means during some of the poll was conducted before Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich dropped out of the race.

The poll's stated margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Unpopularity contest



Sixty-two percent said they have an unfavorable opinion of Clinton, compared to 34 percent who said they have a favorable opinion. Sixty-nine percent of voters said Clinton is not honest and trustworthy.

Meanwhile, 57 percent of Ohioans said they have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, compared to 36 percent favorable. Fifty-eight percent said Trump is not honest and trustworthy.

However, in a head-to-head comparison, 43 percent of Ohioans said Clinton has higher moral standards, while 39 percent answered Trump.

Unlike either of the likely presidential nominees, Sanders has a net positive favorability rating in Ohio, with 45 percent of voters saying they have a favorable opinion of him, compared to 40 percent unfavorable.

Trump better on economy and terrorism, but voters say Clinton is smarter and better in crisis

Fifty-two percent said Trump would be better at handling the economy, while 40 percent picked Clinton. Forty-eight percent said Trump would better deal with terrorism, while 43 percent said Clinton. Sixty-one percent said Trump has strong leadership qualities, while 54 percent said the same for Clinton.

However, 63 percent said they thought Trump lacks the temperament to handle an international crisis, compared to 51 percent who thought Clinton could handle one.

And, 47 percent of voters thought Clinton is smarter than Trump, with 39 percent going the opposite way. Fifteen percent of voters weren't sure or didn't answer.

Ohioans: don't build the wall

Trump has made hard-line positions on immigration and border security a cornerstone of his candidacy.

But a majority of Ohioans don't support two cornerstone Trump pledges, suggesting that Clinton could oppose them without causing much political damage here.

Fifty-two percent said they oppose building a wall along the Mexico border, which is one of Trump's most consistent campaign pledges.

Even more, 54 percent, said they support allowing people living here illegally to remain in the country and eventually apply for citizenship, while another 9 percent said they should be allowed to stay without becoming a citizen.

Only 31 percent said undocumented immigrants should be forced to leave the country. Trump has said if he is elected, he will round up and deport the estimated 11 million-plus people thought to be living in the U.S. illegally.

Poll shows gender, racial gap

Trump leads 51 percent to 36 percent among men in Ohio, but Clinton leads 43 percent to 36 percent among women.

Drilling into the numbers a little deeper, Trump's strongest support comes from white men, who support Trump by a 57 percent to 27 percent margin.

Clinton, meanwhile, trails Trump among white women 42 percent to 35 percent. The poll also shows more white women have an unfavorable opinion of Clinton (65 percent) than they do of Trump (58 percent.)

However, Clinton leads Trump overall among nonwhite voters 76 percent to 14 percent.

Ohioans fall along party lines, but more say they won't vote



Tuesday's poll show Trump and Clinton receiving parallel support from voters within their own parties.

Eighty-one percent of Democrats said they would vote for Clinton, while 80 percent of Republicans said they would vote for Trump. Only 5 percent of Republicans said they would vote for Clinton, and 6 percent of Democrats said they would vote for Trump. (Among independents, Trump led Clinton 40 percent to 37 percent.)

But it also shows that compared to this time in 2012, a significantly greater number of voters said they planned to skip the November election.

A May 2012 Quinnipiac University poll showed similarly low levels of partisan crossover support. Meanwhile, 1 percent of Democrats, 1 percent of Republicans and 5 percent of independents said they wouldn't vote.

But in Tuesday's poll, 7 percent of Republicans, 7 percent of Democrats and 11 percent of independents said they plan to skip the November election.

Ohio among three swing states that were polled

The university also polled voters in Florida and Pennsylvania, which like Ohio have served as crucial swing states in past elections.

In Florida, Clinton led Trump 43 percent to 42 percent, while Sanders led Trump 44 percent to 42 percent. And in Pennsylvania, Clinton led Trump 43 percent to 42 percent, while Sanders led Trump 47 percent to 41 percent.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the February Quinnipiac University poll found Trump tied with Clinton in Ohio.