Thursday, November 3, 2016

The Electoral College Map (11/3/16)



New State Polls (11/3/16)
State
Poll
Date
Margin of Error
Sample
Clinton
Trump
Undecided
Poll Margin
FHQ Margin
Arizona
10/29-10/31
+/-3.0%
2229 likely voters
45
44
0
+1
--
Arizona
10/30-11/1
+/-3.7%
719 likely voters
40
45
1
+5
+1.46
Arkansas
10/18-10/27
+/-4.1%
585 likely voters
31
51
18
+20
+11.64
California
10/25-10/31
--
1498 likely voters
53
33
7
+20
+22.88
Colorado
10/17-10/24
--
1004 adults
44
34
0
+10
--
Colorado
11/1-11/2
+/-4.38%
500 likely voters
44
38
7
+6
+4.18
Florida
11/1-11/2
+/-4.0%
603 likely voters
49
45
2
+4
+2.09
Georgia
10/30-11/1
+/-3.7%
707 likely voters
44
45
1
+1
+3.05
Michigan
11/2
+/-2.89%
1150 likely voters
47
44
2
+3
+7.04
New Hampshire
10/29-11/1
+/-4.4%
500 likely voters
39
40
4
+1
--
New Hampshire
10/31-11/2
+/-4.0%
600 likely voters
43
48
4
+5
--
New Hampshire
10/31-11/2
+/-4.4%
500 likely voters
42
42
8
+/-0
+5.09
North Carolina
10/27-11/1
+/-2.88%
1150 likely voters
44
49
3
+5
+1.45
Texas
10/30-11/1
+/-3.8%
679 likely voters
40
49
1
+9
--
Texas
10/31-11/1
+/-3.6%
700 likely voters
35
49
8
+14
+7.51
Utah
10/29-10/31
+/-4.0%
750 likely voters
31
42
2
+11
--
Utah
10/30-11/2
+/-4.9%
402 likely voters
31
37
2
+6
--
Utah
11/1-11/2
+/-3.0%
1000 likely voters
20
40
8
+20
+9.861
1Excluding the two head-to-head online panel surveys in Utah lowers Trump's average advantage there to 8.00 points. Those polls are outliers in view of the majority of surveys in the Beehive state during 2016 and serve as an anchor on the data. The change would shift Utah within the Lean Trump category, closer to Toss Up Trump. McMullin garnered 21% in the Rassmussen survey, 24% support in the Monmouth survey and 28% in the Emerson poll. He currently has an FHQ graduated weighted average share of support of 22.81%, trailing both Trump and Clinton.


--
Changes (11/3/16)
5 days to go.

Another fairly busy day brought 18 surveys from eleven different states. For the most part the drift toward Trump continued, but that trend was clearer in some states than others. It was a bad day for Clinton, for example, in New Hampshire where a trio of polls found her tied or behind the New York businessman. What is interesting about New Hampshire is that it had been rather impervious to Trump for Clinton. Through that late September period before the first debate when the former Secretary of State's fortunes were ebbing, her support in the Granite state barely budged. That is different now. Although the tide has turned, the echo of the older data is keeping Clinton's advantage there comfortable enough. It is notable, though, that Pennsylvania and New Hampshire swapped spots on the Electoral College Spectrum. Typically those within category shifts are pretty minor, but any movement among states near or next to the tipping point state is worth highlighting.

But that tipping point state -- Colorado -- is back on the list of states with new polls today. While the Centennial state turned in a decent day for Trump yesterday -- pulling closer but not into the lead -- it reversed course today with a couple of wider margins in Clinton's favor. Yes, one of those is dated, but that poll plus another Clinton +6 was enough to ease Colorado back onto the Watch List. If Trump is going to get to 270, the shortest path will be to sweep the toss ups and take the two states above -- Colorado and New Hampshire -- where the durability of Clinton's leads has faltered to some degree. That is still a tall order, but not as tall as it once was. And mind you, that path heads straight up to the top of the middle column in the Spectrum in order.

The only other change was in Utah. The Beehive state switched places with Indiana on the Spectrum at the far end of the Lean Trump category. It is worth noting that Trump has consolidated enough support in Utah to push back within range of 40 percent. No, that does not look great, but when one's main rivals in the state are roughly splitting the remaining 60 percent, then one is in good enough shape to win. [Incidentally, that same sort of Trump consolidation seems to be at work in Texas. But instead of topping out at 40 percent as in Utah, he is closing in on 50 percent. Gone are those recent polls that had Trump and Clinton tight in the low to mid-40s in the Lone Star state.]

The map and the 340-198 electoral vote distribution remain the same as they have, but that is more a function of there being no new surveys in Ohio and Nevada and a favorable Clinton poll in North Carolina. If any states are going to flip given the current trajectory of the race, then it will be those three. Florida remains slightly more insulated, but could be considered a fourth state, taking things right up to that tipping point.


--


The Electoral College Spectrum1
MD-102
(13)
RI-4
(162)
NH-4
(263)
TX-38
(161)
TN-11
(61)
HI-4
(17)
NJ-14
(176)
CO-94
(272 | 275)
SC-9
(123)
AR-6
(50)
VT-3
(20)
OR-7
(183)
FL-29
(301 | 266)
MO-10
(114)
ND-3
(44)
MA-11
(31)
NM-5
(188)
NC-15
(316 | 237)
IN-11
(104)
NE-53
(41)
CA-55
(86)
MN-10
(198)
NV-6
(322 | 222)
UT-6
(93)
KY-8
(36)
NY-29
(115)
MI-16
(214)
OH-18
(340 | 216)
MS-6
(87)
AL-9
(28)
IL-20+13
(136)
ME-23
(216)
IA-6
(198)
KS-6
(81)
ID-4
(19)
DE-3
(139)
WI-10
(226)
AZ-11
(192)
SD-3
(75)
WV-5
(15)
WA-12
(151)
VA-13
(239)
GA-16+13
(181)
LA-8
(72)
OK-7
(10)
CT-7
(158)
PA-20
(259)
AK-3
(164)
MT-3
(64)
WY-3
(3)
1 Follow the link for a detailed explanation on how to read the Electoral College Spectrum.

2 The numbers in the parentheses refer to the number of electoral votes a candidate would have if he or she won all the states ranked prior to that state. If, for example, Trump won all the states up to and including Colorado (all Clinton's toss up states plus Colorado), he would have 275 electoral votes. Trump's numbers are only totaled through the states he would need in order to get to 270. In those cases, Clinton's number is on the left and Trumps's is on the right in bold italics.
To keep the figure to 50 cells, Washington, DC and its three electoral votes are included in the beginning total on the Democratic side of the spectrum. The District has historically been the most Democratic state in the Electoral College.

3 Maine and Nebraska allocate electoral college votes to candidates in a more proportional manner. The statewide winner receives the two electoral votes apportioned to the state based on the two US Senate seats each state has. Additionally, the winner within a congressional district is awarded one electoral vote. Given current polling, all five Nebraska electoral votes would be allocated to Trump. In Maine, a split seems more likely. Trump leads in Maine's second congressional district while Clinton is ahead statewide and in the first district. She would receive three of the four Maine electoral votes and Trump the remaining electoral vote. Those congressional district votes are added approximately where they would fall in the Spectrum above.

4 Colorado is the state where Clinton crosses the 270 electoral vote threshold to win the presidential election. That line is referred to as the victory line. Currently, Colorado is in the Toss Up Clinton category.



NOTE: Distinctions are made between states based on how much they favor one candidate or another. States with a margin greater than 10 percent between Clinton and Trump are "Strong" states. Those with a margin of 5 to 10 percent "Lean" toward one of the two (presumptive) nominees. Finally, states with a spread in the graduated weighted averages of both the candidates' shares of polling support less than 5 percent are "Toss Up" states. The darker a state is shaded in any of the figures here, the more strongly it is aligned with one of the candidates. Not all states along or near the boundaries between categories are close to pushing over into a neighboring group. Those most likely to switch -- those within a percentage point of the various lines of demarcation -- are included on the Watch List below.


The Watch List1
State
Switch
Alaska
from Lean Trump
to Toss Up Trump
Colorado
from Toss Up Clinton
to Lean Clinton
Indiana
from Lean Trump
to Strong Trump
Iowa
from Toss Up Trump
to Toss Up Clinton
Mississippi
from Strong Trump
to Lean Trump
Nevada
from Toss Up Clinton
to Toss Up Trump
New Hampshire
from Lean Clinton
to Toss Up Clinton
Ohio
from Toss Up Clinton
to Toss Up Trump
Oregon
from Lean Clinton
to Strong Clinton
Pennsylvania
from Lean Clinton
to Toss Up Clinton
Utah
from Lean Trump
to Strong Trump
1 Graduated weighted average margin within a fraction of a point of changing categories.


Recent Posts:
The Electoral College Map (11/2/16)

The Electoral College Map (11/1/16)

Happy Halloween, 2016

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Wednesday, November 2, 2016

The Electoral College Map (11/2/16)



New State Polls (11/2/16)
State
Poll
Date
Margin of Error
Sample
Clinton
Trump
Undecided
Poll Margin
FHQ Margin
Arizona
10/29-10/31
+/-3.6%
700 likely voters
43
47
5
+4
--
Arizona
10/27-11/1
+/-3.5%
769 likely voters
44
49
0
+5
--
Arizona
10/28-11/1
--
1113 likely voters
41
42
6
+1
+1.42
Colorado
10/28-10/31
+/-3.5%
750 likely voters
44
41
3
+3
--
Colorado
10/29-10/31
+/-4.2%
550 likely voters
39
39
9
+/-0
--
Colorado
10/28-11/1
--
972 likely voters
44
37
8
+7
+3.94
Florida
10/25-10/30
--
718 likely voters
48
40
0
+8
--
Florida
10/27-10/31
+/-2.89%
1150 likely voters
45
49
3
+4
--
Florida
10/27-11/1
+/-3.5%
773 likely voters
49
47
0
+2
--
Florida
10/27-11/1
+/-3.9%
626 likely voters
46
45
4
+1
+2.06
Georgia
10/29-10/31
+/-3.8%
650 likely voters
42
51
2
+9
+3.13
Kansas
10/26-10/30
+/-4.0%
624 likely voters
38
49
6
+11
+11.64
Louisiana
10/15-10/21
--
614 likely voters
40
43
7
+3
+12.72
Michigan
9/1-10/31
+/-3.6%
746 likely voters
47
28
8
+19
--
Michigan
11/1
+/-3.29%
887 likely voters
47
44
3
+3
+7.20
Missouri
10/28-10/31
+/-3.8%
650 likely voters
37
52
4
+15
--
Missouri
10/27-11/1
+/-4.4%
508 likely voters
38
47
11
+9
+7.92
Nevada
10/27-11/1
+/-3.5%
790 likely voters
43
49
1
+6
--
Nevada
10/28-11/1
+/-4.0%
600 likely voters
45
45
4
+/-0
--
Nevada
10/28-11/1
--
892 likely voters
45
38
7
+7
+0.77
New Mexico
10/28-11/1
--
567 likely voters
39
31
7
+8
+7.85
North Carolina
10/27-11/1
+/-4.0%
602 likely voters
47
44
5
+3
+1.58
Ohio
10/24-10/26
+/-2.89%
1150 likely voters
44
49
5
+5
--
Ohio
10/27-11/1
+/-4.0%
589 likely voters
41
46
5
+5
+0.25
Oregon
10/25-10/29
+/-4.4%
504 likely voters
41
34
11
+7
+9.43
Pennsylvania
10/27-11/1
+/-3.5%
799 likely voters
48
44
0
+4
--
Pennsylvania
10/27-11/1
+/-4.0%
612 likely voters
48
43
2
+5
--
Pennsylvania
10/29-11/1
+/-4.9%
403 likely voters
48
44
3
+4
--
Pennsylvania
10/31-11/1
+/-3.76%
681 likely voters
45
43
6
+2
+5.38
Virginia
10/23-10/30
+/-3.6%
712 likely voters
44
39
7
+5
--
Virginia
10/26-10/30
+/-4.37%
802 likely voters
41
44
15
+3
+6.37
Wisconsin
10/26-10/31
+/-3.5%
1255 likely voters
46
40
4
+6
+6.42


--
Changes (11/2/16)
6 days left.

There is lots to look at today. 32 polls from 16 states were released, offering quite a bit of data in a number of battleground states. Additionally, there were a few other surveys from several Lean Clinton states where Trump has peel off at least one in addition to sweeping the toss ups to get to 270.

All of that data was noisy, but the underlying picture is one of stability. Yes, part of that is the methodology behind the FHQ graduated weighted averages. But the race, not to mention the map, has been in stasis at 340-198 since the beginning of October. That remains true even with the addition of these polls. Ohio continues to close in on a tie here at FHQ, moving toward Trump. Any more results resembling today's polls of the Buckeye state will likely push it over the partisan line. Of course, Ohio has been on the Watch List for a while now. It was joined again by Nevada which slipped under the Clinton +1 mark on the weight of three new surveys.

The order of states on the Electoral College Spectrum also held mostly steady. Virginia and Wisconsin swapped spots in the Lean Clinton area, and Missouri pushed past South Carolina in the Lean Trump area. Other than that, everything held steady.

Late add:
The University of Denver poll of Colorado pulls the Centennial state off the Watch List. It is now firmly within the Toss Up Clinton area (in addition to being the tipping point state below on the Spectrum).




The Electoral College Spectrum1
MD-102
(13)
RI-4
(162)
PA-20
(263)
TX-38
(161)
TN-11
(61)
HI-4
(17)
NJ-14
(176)
CO-94
(272 | 275)
SC-9
(123)
AR-6
(50)
VT-3
(20)
OR-7
(183)
FL-29
(301 | 266)
MO-10
(114)
ND-3
(44)
MA-11
(31)
NM-5
(188)
NC-15
(316 | 237)
UT-6
(104)
NE-53
(41)
CA-55
(86)
MN-10
(198)
NV-6
(322 | 222)
IN-11
(98)
KY-8
(36)
NY-29
(115)
MI-16
(214)
OH-18
(340 | 216)
MS-6
(87)
AL-9
(28)
IL-20+13
(136)
ME-23
(216)
IA-6
(198)
KS-6
(81)
ID-4
(19)
DE-3
(139)
WI-10
(226)
AZ-11
(192)
SD-3
(75)
WV-5
(15)
WA-12
(151)
VA-13
(239)
GA-16+13
(181)
LA-8
(72)
OK-7
(10)
CT-7
(158)
NH-4
(243)
AK-3
(164)
MT-3
(64)
WY-3
(3)
1 Follow the link for a detailed explanation on how to read the Electoral College Spectrum.

2 The numbers in the parentheses refer to the number of electoral votes a candidate would have if he or she won all the states ranked prior to that state. If, for example, Trump won all the states up to and including Colorado (all Clinton's toss up states plus Colorado), he would have 275 electoral votes. Trump's numbers are only totaled through the states he would need in order to get to 270. In those cases, Clinton's number is on the left and Trumps's is on the right in bold italics.
To keep the figure to 50 cells, Washington, DC and its three electoral votes are included in the beginning total on the Democratic side of the spectrum. The District has historically been the most Democratic state in the Electoral College.

3 Maine and Nebraska allocate electoral college votes to candidates in a more proportional manner. The statewide winner receives the two electoral votes apportioned to the state based on the two US Senate seats each state has. Additionally, the winner within a congressional district is awarded one electoral vote. Given current polling, all five Nebraska electoral votes would be allocated to Trump. In Maine, a split seems more likely. Trump leads in Maine's second congressional district while Clinton is ahead statewide and in the first district. She would receive three of the four Maine electoral votes and Trump the remaining electoral vote. Those congressional district votes are added approximately where they would fall in the Spectrum above.

4 Colorado is the state where Clinton crosses the 270 electoral vote threshold to win the presidential election. That line is referred to as the victory line. Currently, Colorado is in the Toss Up Clinton category.



NOTE: Distinctions are made between states based on how much they favor one candidate or another. States with a margin greater than 10 percent between Clinton and Trump are "Strong" states. Those with a margin of 5 to 10 percent "Lean" toward one of the two (presumptive) nominees. Finally, states with a spread in the graduated weighted averages of both the candidates' shares of polling support less than 5 percent are "Toss Up" states. The darker a state is shaded in any of the figures here, the more strongly it is aligned with one of the candidates. Not all states along or near the boundaries between categories are close to pushing over into a neighboring group. Those most likely to switch -- those within a percentage point of the various lines of demarcation -- are included on the Watch List below.


The Watch List1
State
Switch
Alaska
from Lean Trump
to Toss Up Trump
Indiana
from Lean Trump
to Strong Trump
Iowa
from Toss Up Trump
to Toss Up Clinton
Mississippi
from Strong Trump
to Lean Trump
Nevada
from Toss Up Clinton
to Toss Up Trump
New Hampshire
from Lean Clinton
to Toss Up Clinton
Ohio
from Toss Up Clinton
to Toss Up Trump
Oregon
from Lean Clinton
to Strong Clinton
Pennsylvania
from Lean Clinton
to Toss Up Clinton
Utah
from Lean Trump
to Strong Trump
1 Graduated weighted average margin within a fraction of a point of changing categories.


Recent Posts:
The Electoral College Map (11/1/16)

Happy Halloween, 2016

The Electoral College Map (10/31/16)

Follow FHQ on TwitterGoogle+ and Facebook or subscribe by Email.