New Polls Show Election Tightening, Trump Gaining in Battleground States

— -- A series of polls released today show the gap is narrowing between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, both nationally and in surveys of the key battleground states of Florida and Ohio.

A Quinnipiac poll of likely voters shows Clinton with 48 percent support nationally compared to Trump's 43 percent. The poll marks a tightening from late August when Quinnipiac showed the margin as 51-41 in favor of Clinton.

The Quinnipiac poll was followed by the release of polling in Florida and Ohio by CNN/ORC that delivered additional good news for the New York businessman.

In Florida, Trump received the backing of 47 percent of respondents while Clinton acquired 44 percent. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein had 6 and 1 percent, respectively.

In Ohio, Trump's support measured 46 percent to Clinton's 41 percent, Johnson's 8 percent and Stein's 2 percent. The margin of error in both polls was 3.5 percent.

Nationally, the Quinnipiac poll highlighted a few shifting trends from previous tallies. Independent voters backed Clinton 46-41 percent over Trump in August but now it's a 45-40 percent margin for Trump.

Additionally, Democratic respondents seem to have noticed a tightening in the race. Last month, 43 percent believed the election would be a close race and 48 percent said it would be a landslide. Now, 60 percent say they think it will be close, while 30 percent are holding out for a landslide.

Trump voters are more likely to believe the candidate's claim that if he loses, the election could have been "rigged." Forty-six percent of Trump supporters already believe the election may have been tampered with if their preferred choice loses. Just 11 percent of Clinton's backers agree with the same statement should she lose.