Poll: Clinton leads Trump by 7 nationally

Hillary Clinton has a comfortable lead over Donald Trump nationally and in the battleground states that will be critical in determining the outcome of the presidential election, a new poll finds.

A Monmouth University survey released Monday shows Clinton with 47 percent support to Trump’s  40 percent among registered voters nationally.

{mosads}Among likely voters, Clinton’s lead increases to 8 points, 49 percent to 41 percent.

Clinton also leads by 8 points, 47 percent to 39 percent, in the 10 battleground states decided by a margin of 7 percentage points or less in the 2012 election, the poll found.

That year, the candidate who won Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin beat his opponent by less than 7 points. President Obama defeated GOP nominee Mitt Romney in all of those states except for North Carolina.

Clinton’s lead shrinks when Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein are factored in.

In a four-way match-up, Clinton leads Trump by 6 points, 42 percent to 36 percent. Johnson receives 9 percent support, and Stein receives 4 percent in that survey.

“Clinton has the advantage as the general election campaign kicks off, particularly in key swing states,” said Monmouth pollster Patrick Murray. “However, all signs point to 2016 turning out the most polarized electorate in memory.”

Clinton and Trump have overwhelming support within their respective parties, with 87 percent of Democrats saying they’ll back Clinton and 84 percent of Republicans pledging support for Trump.

Both candidates are deep underwater on favorability, though: 36 percent say they have a favorable view of Clinton while 52 percent view her negatively. Trump is worse off, at 28 percent favorable and 57 percent unfavorable.

Clinton’s lead over Trump is bolstered by her support among minority voters and women.

She has a commanding advantage, 72 percent to 17 percent, among black, Hispanic and Asian voters. Trump leads 49 percent to 38 percent among white voters.

Clinton also has a big lead over Trump among women, 57 percent to 30 percent. Trump has a sizable lead among men, but by a smaller margin, 50 percent to 37 percent.

The Monmouth University survey of 803 registered voters was conducted between June 15 and 19 and has a 3.5-point margin of error.