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Poll: NY Presidential Race Tightens Among Independents

Hillary Clinton
New York Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, seen here 13 July 2007, hit back Friday in a row with the Pentagon, after a top official accused her of emboldening US enemies by discussing troop withdrawals.

A final poll in the long Presidential race shows the contest tightening a bit in New York, though Hillary Clinton still leads Donald Trump by double digits.

Siena College spokesman Steve Greenberg says while Democrat Hillary Clinton is still 17 points ahead of Republican Donald Trump in New York, she’s lost ground in the past few weeks among independents.

He says Clinton and Trump are now tied among independents in the downstate suburbs.

The poll was conducted after the news that the FBI director James Comey  was again examining some of Clinton’s State Department emails, after more messages were found during a criminal investigation of  her top aide’s husband, former Congressman Anthony Weiner.

The survey of likely voters  also finds that while Clinton lost points, incumbent Senator Chuck Schumer has actually picked up support, and now leads his opponent Wendy Long by 42 points, 67% to 25%. Long also ran against Kirsten Gillibrand  in 2012, to an historic defeat.

“The real race is to see if Chuck Schumer can beat Wendy Long by more than Kirsten Gillibrand did four years ago,” said Greenberg. “He’s hovering on the outskirts of that now.”

The poll finds even 42% of Republicans are backing Schumer.

Karen DeWitt is Capitol Bureau chief for New York State Public Radio, a network of public radio stations in New York state. She has covered state government and politics for the network since 1990.