DEBATE MAY HAVE HELPED TRUMP – AT 8:54 A.M. ET:  But Clinton still holds an impressive lead, and most voters are sure of their vote.  From Rasmussen:

With the first night after their latest debate being surveyed, Donald Trump has narrowed Hillary Clinton’s lead slightly in the latest White House Watch.

The daily Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds Clinton still holding a five point lead - 44% to 39% - over her Republican rival. But yesterday she had jumped to her biggest lead ever - 45% to 38% - following the release of a video showing Trump discussing women in graphic sexual detail.

Rasmussen Reports updates its White House Watch survey daily Monday through Friday at 8:30 am Eastern based on a three-day rolling average of 1,500 Likely U.S. Voters. This is the first survey in which one of the nights follows the Sunday night debate.

The latest survey shows Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson holding steady at seven percent (7%) and Green Party nominee Jill Stein still trailing with two percent (2%). Four percent (4%) like some other candidate, and another four percent (4%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Eighty percent (80%) of voters say they are certain how they will vote. Among these voters, Clinton still leads 49% to 45%; yesterday, she posted a 51% to 45% lead in this group of voters. Among those who say they could still change their minds between now and Election Day, it’s Clinton 43%, Trump 28%, Johnson 25% and Stein four percent (4%).

COMMENT:  It will be a tough climb for Trump.  He is now racing the clock.  The election is four weeks from today, there is only one debate left, there may be more Trump tapes out there, and some prominent Republicans have jumped ship.

But you never know.  It's the strangest election year I've seen.  If the election were held today, Clinton would win.  But the election isn't being held today.

October 11,  2016