The two leading presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are competing with each other but they must also contend with their unpopular standings among people to enhance their election prospects.
The standings of the two candidates are just one unusual dimension of the highly unconventional political season, where political correctness has been pushed to the back burner but clarity is also a rarity.
While Clinton has gone subdued in recent days as she stays away from the clamor of campaign, Trump is increasingly toughening his stances on issues he thinks matter most to his support base – from immigration to Mexicans, Muslims and foreign policy matters.
A visit to Mexico is being seen as boosting Trump as reflected in his newfound vigor in a speech in Phoenix, Arizona, where he sounded more like his primary campaign than the expected restrained candidate.
Having toyed with the idea of softening his stand on immigration, the GOP candidate seems to be doing well with his followers with his return to no-holds-barred approach.
On the other hand, Clinton, whose campaign is wrestling with new revelations about emails from her personal account as America’s top diplomat, looks counting more mistakes that Trump might make in the days.
To what extent, the two candidates – facing historically low public opinions – overcome roadblocks, will be a key to their odds in November 8 election.
A latest survey says Trump has reached within 2 percent of his Democratic rival Clinton.
The Fox News poll shows that in terms of national support Clinton was leading the billionaire businessman 41 percent to 39 percent.
Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson scored a healthy 9 percent and Green Party nominee Jill Stein took 4 points.
In a head-to-head match-up, however, Clinton held a 6-point edge over Trump and led him 48 percent to 42 percent.
But even that means a fall in Clinton lead since earlier this month, she had a 10-point lead.
The poll attributes the former secretary of state’s declining support to Johnson and Stein’s growing popularity among voters which had mostly happened at the expense of Clinton.
This is while a RealClearPolitics national polling average also put the former first lady ahead by less than five points.
According to polls and reports, Clinton and Trump still remain two of the most unpopular candidates to have ever run for the White House.
An ABC News/Washington Post released Wednesday said Clinton’s unpopularity among American voters has reached a new high, putting her on par with her Republican rival.
Findings say among all adults, 56 percent now have an unfavorable view of Clinton, an increase of 6 points in three weeks, compared to 63 percent who have the same view about Trump.
The two nominees have almost similar unfavorable ratings — 59 percent for Clinton and 60 percent for Trump among registered voters.
This makes them as the two most unpopular US presidential nominees in more than 30 years.
While Trump has marred his campaign by demonizing women, Mexican immigrants and Muslims, Clinton has suffered in the backdrop of massive support her primary rival Senator Bernie Sanders was able to garner as well as email scandal.
Currently, the campaigns are caught between Trump’s hardening stances and Clinton’s relative silence that may be due to future strategy planning. Trump, however, is getting media spotlight with his trademark attacking style and hawkish positions.
But will there be a rational debate on issues of pressing concern to people like immigration, jobs, security and education that offers voters an opportunity to make informed decisions?
At the moment, odds suggest the two candidates will launch scathing attacks against each other and just rely on their support bases for a victory in the November 8 election. That poses the question who will win over the undecided voters, particularly in swing states, and whether Libertarians or Green Party nominees will be able to benefit from the situation and secure those votes.
