Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump crisscrossed the country yesterday as they raced to sway undecided voters in a tight US presidential race that has Clinton with a narrow lead according to opinion polls.
With only one day left before Election Day, the Clinton campaign was boosted by Sunday’s unexpected FBI announcement that it stood by its July decision not to press any criminal charges in an investigation of Clinton’s e-mail practices.
A Fox News opinion poll yesterday had former secretary of State Clinton leading Trump, a wealthy New York real estate developer, by four percentage points among likely voters.
Financial markets brightened yesterday in reaction to the latest twists in what has been a roller-coaster presidential campaign. Stocks and the dollar posted their biggest gains in weeks after Sunday’s FBI announcement.
In early trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 243 points, or 1.36%, at 18,131.33.
Opinion polls show a close race, but tilting toward Clinton.
Major bookmakers and online exchanges were more confident than public opinion polling that Clinton will win today’s election.
Predictit put Clinton’s chances of capturing the White House at 81%. Both Clinton and Trump will spend the day racing across a handful of battleground states that could swing the election, given the Electoral College system that awards the White House on the basis of state-by-state wins.
Trump was scheduled to hold his first campaign appearance of the day in Sarasota, Florida, where he and Clinton have been locked in a tough battle in a state with a large Hispanic-American voting population.
He was also heading to North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Michigan, closing with a late-night rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
FBI director James Comey again sent shockwaves through the race by telling Congress on Sunday that investigators had worked around the clock to complete a review of newly discovered e-mails and found no reason to change their July finding that there was no criminal wrongdoing in Clinton’s use of a private e-mail server, rather than a government system, while she was secretary of state from 2009-2013.
It was uncertain whether the announcement came in time to change voters’ minds or undo any damage from days of Republican attacks on Clinton as corrupt.
Tens of millions of Americans had cast early votes in the 10 days since Comey first told Congress of the newly discovered e-mails.
“Nothing’s going to change between today and tomorrow to help [Clinton] win back” undecided voters,” Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said on ABC’s Good Morning America.
Trump, who drew wide criticism last month when he said the election was rigged against him and that he would not yet commit to respecting the outcome, questioned the thoroughness of the FBI review and said the issue would not go away.
Clinton did not mention the FBI finding during her last two campaign events on Sunday.
“That’s behind us now,” campaign manager Robby Mook told CNN yesterday.
Clinton was to make two stops in Pennsylvania and visit Michigan yesterday before wrapping up with a midnight rally in Raleigh, North Carolina.
She was to appear at an evening rally at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall with President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, as well as rock star Bruce Springsteen.
Clinton, speaking briefly to reporters before boarding her campaign plane in Pittsburgh, pressed her commitment to bringing the country together.
“I think that these splits, these divides that have been not only exposed but exacerbated by the campaign on the other side are ones that we really do have to...bring the country together,” Clinton said.
Asked if she would be able to heal the country after such a divisive election season, Clinton said, “Absolutely”.
Markets have tended to see Clinton as the status quo candidate, with more uncertainty over Trump, and news favouring her bid often boosts investors’ risk appetite.
Global financial markets slipped last week as opinion polls showed the presidential race tightening.
News of the renewed FBI investigation had appeared to fuel a slide in Clinton’s poll numbers since late October.
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Clinton with a 5 percentage point lead over the New York businessman nationally — 44% to 39% support — while races in the swing states of Florida and North Carolina shifted from favouring Clinton to being too close to call.
Clinton held a 4-point lead in the ABC/Washington Post poll and a CBS news poll released yesterday.
Both Clinton and Trump will spend the day racing across a handful of battleground states that could swing the election, which polls show is close but tilting toward Clinton.
Trump, who has not said whether he will respect the results of today’s election, questioned the thoroughness of the FBI review and said the issue would not go away.
Clinton’s Democratic allies hoped the FBI finding would be enough to push her over the finish line and end the uncertainty and Republican attacks on her character that have dogged her campaign since Comey made the new e-mails public on October 28.
“The FBI’s swift and thorough review should finally close the door on this Republican sideshow,” House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said, adding the election would now be decided “on the merits of the candidates” rather than innuendo.
Republicans kept up their criticism of Clinton.
“She simply believes she’s above the law and always plays by her own rules,” House of Representatives speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement, arguing that Clinton’s use of a private e-mail server “compromised our national security”.
US stock index futures rose more than 1% after the FBI announcement and the US dollar also strengthened in Asian trading against major currencies.
Markets have tended to see Clinton as the status quo candidate, and news favouring her bid often boosts investors’ risk appetite.
Global financial markets slipped last week as opinion polls showed the presidential race tightening.