Trump, Clinton Deadlocked in National Polls Before Debate

(CN) - Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were effectively tied in the race for the presidency just hours before one of the most highly anticipated head-to-head debates between contenders for the White House.

Clinton and Trump each garnered the support of 46 percent of likely voters in a Bloomberg Politics national poll released Monday, while Trump gets 43 percent and Clinton 41 percent when the Libertarian and Green Party candidates are thrown into the mix.

Meanwhile, a Quinnipiac University presidential poll unveiled Monday also shows the two major party candidates in a dead heat, with Clinton getting 44 percent, Trump, 43 percent, Libertarian candidate 8 percent and the Green party's Jill Stein, 2 percent.

Asked who they expect to perform better during the debate which will be broadcast live starting at 9 p.m. Monday from Hofstra University in New York, about half 49 percent expect Clinton to walk away the victor, while 39 percent think Trump will best his rival.

According to Bloomberg, the 12-point advantage Clinton held in its poll in June has evaporated due to eroding support among women and younger voters.

Where Clinton enjoyed a 26-point lead among women likely voters in June, she now holds just a 13-point advantage.

Among likely voters under 35 years old, Clinton gets 50 percent to Trump's 40 percent, down from her 29-point margin in August in the two-way race and from her 26-point margin in June in the three-way race.

The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 points for top-line numbers, with 1,002 likely voters interviewed. It was taken Wednesday through Saturday.

According to the latest Quinnipiac national poll, Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump 44 percent to 43 percent among likely voters in a four-way race, with 8 percent supporting Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson and 1 percent backing the Green Party candidate Jill Stein.

In a two-way race, Clinton leads Trump by a similar margin, 47 percent to 46 percent.

The poll shows little change since Quinnipiac's September survey, when Clinton led Trump 41 percent to 39 percent in a four-way race.

While Clinton leads among women 47 percent to 42 percent, Trump holds a similar advantage among men, 44 percent to 40 percent. Independents also favor Trump, as well as white voters, though non-white voters overwhelmingly prefer Clinton.

Eight-four percent of respondents plan to watch Monday night's debate, which 41 percent of likely voters expect Clinton to win, while 32 percent expect Trump to win.

For Monday's poll, Quinnipiac surveyed 1,115 likely voters by telephone Thursday through Saturday, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

Organizations that compile an average of daily polls still show Clinton with a slight lead. The RealClearPolitics daily average has the former Secretary of State up by 2.1 points, while the website FiveThirtyEight has her up by 1.1 points.

Meanwhile, Monday's USC Dornsife/L.A. Times Presidential Election Daybreak Poll has Trump up by 4 points.

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