Are you overwhelmed by political jargon? Can’t stand disecting the latest election headlines? Check out staff reporter Lee Fisher’s week 2 election update. She sets out to inform readers in an easily digestible style.

Creative commons image by United States Department of State.

By Lee Fisher

Week 2: Sat, Oct. 1
Read below for this week’s election update. Click on the links to learn more.

Latest Polls
According to leading poll agency FiveThirtyEight, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton currently leads Republican nominee Donald Trump with a predicted 67.3 percent chance of winning the 2016 presidential election. FiveThirtyEight predicts that Clinton will be able to garner 46.9 percent of the popular vote and 300 electoral votes, putting her well above the 270 required to take the presidency. One national poll taken Thursday put Clinton up by only a single point, and while another poll put Trump up by four. Although Clinton’s lead has been steadily slipping since mid-Aug., the tides turned for her last week. Her lead dipped again just before the debate, but the odds have steadily increased in her favor since Monday night.

Donald Trump
Scandals
This past week, Trump’s momentum in the polls has stagnated. Following Monday night’s first presidential debate, a debate widely perceived to be one of the major moments in the 2016 race, Trump has seen countless criticisms from major media outlets about his performance. Although who “won” the debate is contested, many lean towards Clinton as the stronger candidate following Monday night’s contest. To read more on Trump’s various missteps and browse a debate summary, click here. Later in the week, Trump attacked former Miss Universe Alicia Machado via Twitter, which sparked outrage from some voters.

Policies
This week, Trump introduced little in the way of new policies, but took the debate as an opportunity to reiterate his positions. Crime policies, trade deals, job creation, and clean energy were all points of contention on Monday. Surprisingly, Trump’s controversial views on immigration were not discussed.

Events
Trump has been campaigning throughout the United States, hitting key states like Wisconsin, Michigan, New Hampshire, Iowa, Florida, and Virginia. And of course, his presence was noted by more than 84 million people at the debate at Hofstra University on Monday night.

Hillary Clinton
Scandals
This week, Clinton has seen a significant positive bump in the polls, following what most believe to be a winning debate performance. But Clinton hasn’t been perfect this week: once again, her failure to connect with millennial voters has been brought to the forefront. For Clinton, that failure could drastically affect her abilities to garner the necessary votes when Nov. 8 comes around.

Policies
Like Trump, Clinton also used the debate to remind voters of her specific policies (job creation, safety and crime, and more). She also proposed a national service reserve that would train American citizens to respond to certain national emergencies.

Events
Clinton has used this past week to visit New Hampshire, North Carolina, Iowa, and Florida. She also went head to head against Trump in Monday’s debate. In an attempt to combat Trump’s pointed attacks during that debate, Clinton turned her website into a fact checker (here’s the New York Times fact checker, too).

What to Look For
On Oct. 4, the vice presidential candidates, Mike Pence and Tim Kaine, will face off in their first and only debate at Longwood University in Virginia. On Oct. 9, look out for the second presidential debate as Trump and Clinton battle it out at Washington University in St. Louis. These debates will offer opportunities for each campaign to reiterate their policies and capitalize on their opponent’s weaknesses. Then, in just five short weeks, on Nov. 8, the 2016 general election will determine the next President of the United States.

Read More
To find out more about the 2016 election, consult the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, CNN, FiveThirtyEight, or your local newspaper. Be sure to check back next Friday for a weekly update from The Coat of Arms!