Rasmussen Reports on Tuesday said that Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump were essentially “deadlocked” in their race for the White House, but added the caveat that “these findings were taken prior to Clinton’s acceptance speech Thursday night at the Democratic national convention.”
The numbers, Rasmussen said, will be updated Thursday morning.
However, Rasmussen also said that “Forty-four percent (44%) say they are more likely to vote for Clinton, while 41% are more likely to support Trump. The two were tied at 38% apiece on this question in April.”
That may not seem like a deadlock to numbers crunchers. Rasmussen surveyed 1,000 likely voters July 28 and 31. The margin of sampling error is =/- 3 percentage points with a 95 percent level of confidence.
Another important revelation was that a growing number of likely voters are committing to support their party’s nominees. Back in April, 24 percent of those surveyed refused to commit, Rasmussen noted. Today that percentage has shrunk to 15 percent.
While it is noteworthy that the Rasmussen survey was taken prior to Clinton’s acceptance speech, less than 72 hours later, she was telling Fox News’ Chris Wallace that she agrees the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms, followed immediately by the almost obligatory “…but.”
Then she launched into something of a lecture about how “that right, like every other of our rights …is open to and even subject to reasonable regulation.” And while she insisted she does not wish to see the 2008 Heller ruling overturned, she does want Congress to “step up and do its job.” Whatever that means.
She then claimed that the vast majority of the American people, “including gun owners, support the kind of common sense reforms that I’m proposing.”
What is she proposing? She wants to expand background checks. She would like to renew the ban on so-called “assault weapons.” And the Democratic Party platform says this about guns:
Preventing Gun Violence
“With 33,000 Americans dying every year, Democrats believe that we must finally take sensible action to address gun violence. While responsible gun ownership is part of the fabric of many communities, too many families in America have suffered from gun violence. We can respect the rights of responsible gun owners while keeping our communities safe. To build on the success of the lifesaving Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, we will expand and strengthen background checks and close dangerous loopholes in our current laws; repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) to revoke the dangerous legal immunity protections gun makers and sellers now enjoy; and keep weapons of war—such as assault weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines (LCAM’s)—off our streets. We will fight back against attempts to make it harder for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to revoke federal licenses from law breaking gun dealers, and ensure guns do not fall into the hands of terrorists, intimate partner abusers, other violent criminals, and those with severe mental health issues. There is insufficient research on effective gun prevention policies, which is why the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must have the resources it needs to study gun violence as a public health issue.”
That reads more like a desire to turn the Second Amendment right into a heavily-regulated government privilege, gun rights activists argue.
Back to the survey, Rasmussen reported Tuesday morning that only ten percent of poll respondents will know vote for a third party candidate. Rasmussen noted earlier in July that “Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson has not noticeably impacted the race between the two major party candidates much.” Only two percent plan to sit the election out.
That suggests this November’s election turnout could be heavy.
