Optimism Not Waning For Trump, Clinton Supporters In North Texas
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DALLAS (CBS11) - For the past month at the Hillary Clinton campaign office in West Dallas, Marjorie Asturias has made phone calls to help get out the vote in the crucial battleground state of Florida.
"I've been wanting to vote for Hillary since 1992 since she came on the national scene," said Asturias.
Asturias said she believes the taped 2005 lewd comments and new accusations of sexual assault against Donald Trump are hurting the Republican nominee and helping Clinton.
"A lot more confident now than I was a month ago. That's one of the reasons I volunteered because I was getting really worried about the polls," said Asturias. "But we've made a lot of effort here in this office and in Democratic offices all throughout the country."
Following the negative headlines, national polls and polls in the key battleground states show Trump's popularity declining.
But Wayne Richard, a Donald Trump supporter, rejects the surveys saying they are skewed toward Clinton.
"I don't give credence to the polls anymore," said Richard.
Richard said he believes the negative headlines against Trump will actually help him.
"From what I see, people are being motivated," said Richard. "There's passion and we've seen all throughout the primary, when people attack Trump, people get more engaged, more passionate about helping him win the election."
For Trump to win, he needs all of the states Mitt Romney won in 2012, and then win key states such as Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Colorado and Nevada -- all states he was leading in before the first debate on September 26.
That would give Trump 275 electoral votes and Clinton 263.
But analysts like SMU Political Science Professor Matthew Wilson say polls in those states have shifted toward Clinton.
"With the numbers that he's pulling right now among female voters, there's no way to get to 270 electoral votes," said Wilson. "So Trump will have to someway figure out how to turn that around. At this point, I think it would require something extraordinary to happen to reshuffle the race."
Wilson said Trump should focus on the issues that resonate with voters, including the loss of American jobs, Obamacare, and illegal immigration.
Richard believes "Trump needs to be Trump. Trump got the nomination because he spoke about his true beliefs."
As for Marjorie Asturias, she is pleased with the reaction she is receiving from Florida Democrats.
"We have gotten some people I'm very excited to say, 'Oh heck yeah, I'm going to vote for Hillary. My husband's going to vote for Hillary. My wife's going to vote for Hillary.' I'm feeling pretty good," she said.
The final debate is Wednesday, October 19.
Early voting in Texas begins just five days later and Election Day is Tuesday, November 8.
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