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Survey Finds Clinton, Heck Hold Modest Leads In Nevada

Pollster Peter Hart discusses his recent survey of 700 Nevadans as retired Sen. Richard Bryan, a one-time client, looks on, lower center. Hart spoke at a forum this week at UNLV’s Boyd School of Law.
Vaneh Darakjian

Pollster Peter Hart discusses his recent survey of 700 Nevadans as retired Sen. Richard Bryan, a one-time client, looks on, lower center. Hart spoke at a forum this week at UNLV’s Boyd School of Law.

National pollster Peter Hart surveyed Nevada and found that in the state Hillary Clinton and Rep. Joe Heck hold slight leads in the state in their respective races for president and senator.

In the survey of 700 registered voters, Clinton topped Republican nominee Donald Trump 44-41 and Heck led Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto by a single point, 47-46. Both results fall within the poll’s 3.8 percentage point margin of error.

The races for president and U.S. Senate control “may well come down to the state of Nevada,” Hart said while presenting his findings earlier this week as part of the Dean’s Speaker Series at UNLV’s Boyd School of Law

Hart, who typically works for Democrats, is one of the nation’s leading public opinion researchers and since 1989 he has helped conduct the closely watched NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

Among the poll’s other findings:

  • Nearly 60 percent of respondents feel the nation is on the wrong track, but only 41 percent say Nevada is on the wrong track.
  • 80 percent of respondents reported watching the first presidential debate.
  • Gov. Brian Sandoval enjoys a 61 percent approval rating.
  • Among several political figures, including the major party presidential candidates, only Sandoval, President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton had favorability ratings above 50 percent.

Complete survey results can be found here.

Peter Hart, pollster

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