Poll: Clinton up 4 on Trump nationally

Hillary Clinton boasts a 4-point lead over Donald Trump nationwide following their first presidential debate, according to a new poll.

Clinton leads Trump 44 percent to 40 percent in the Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey released Thursday.

{mosads}Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson takes 6 percent, followed by independent presidential candidate Evan McMullin at 2 percent. Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein ranks last at 1 percent, while another 6 percent remain undecided.

Pollsters found Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, retains her 4-point advantage in a head-to-head matchup with Trump, the Republican nominee, 49 percent to 45 percent, with 6 percent unsure.

“We’ve consistently found Hillary Clinton with a national lead in the 3-6 point range since Donald Trump clinched the Republican nomination” in late July, said Dean Debnam, PPP’s president.

“She’s never been able to blow the race wide open and she probably never will, but her modest advantage has proven to be quite durable.”

Over half of voters in Thursday’s poll believe Clinton won the first of her three presidential debates against Trump last Monday.

Fifty-four percent believe Clinton emerged victorious at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., versus 31 percent who say Trump and 14 percent who are unsure.

Thursday’s poll additionally reported NBC News anchor Lester Holt, who moderated the event, scores 37 percent favorability and 28 percent unfavorability after the contest.

PPP conducted its latest sampling of 933 likely voters via landline telephone and online interviews from Sept. 27 to 28. It has a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.

Clinton leads Trump by 3 points nationwide, according to the latest RealClearPolitics average of samplings.