Polls show Clinton leads Trump ahead of first debate
Hillary Clinton has seen her edge over Donald Trump in the polls grow slightly heading into the highly anticipated first presidential debate.
According to the Real Clear Politics average, the former secretary of state leads 46.2 percent to Trump's 43.7 percent nationally. The billionaire business man has cut into Clinton's lead dramatically over the past few weeks, halving her lead from 6 points to now under 3 points.
Trump recently reached his highest chance of winning the 2016 election, according to FiveThirtyEight's Nate Silver. Silver's "Polls-plus" projection gave the GOP nominee a 44.5 percent chance of winning the presidency last week, the highest chance of victory he's seen during the entire 2016 campaign. As it stands now, Clinton has a 58.1 percent chance of victory, while Trump has dipped to 41.9 percent.
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Both candidates will be looking to sway voters their direction during Monday night's presidential debate, and the stakes could not be higher especially as some national polls show the race closer than ever. A Washington Post-ABC News poll released on Sunday shows Clinton's lead shrinking to only 2 points, 46 percent to Trump's 44 percent, well within its margin of error.
RELATED: RCP swing state poll average - Clinton vs. Trump
Trump over the weekend preemptively began stirring the pot over the weekend, threatening to sit former Bill Clinton mistress Gennifer Flowers in the front row during the event. Flowers later accepted the invite, however the Trump campaign has stated the have no serious plans to accommodate Flowers.
In preparation for the showdown, Clinton selected longtime aide Philippe Reines to play Trump as she prepares for the big night, and was reportedly hunkered down in a hotel near her New York residence all night on Saturday.
RELATED: Topics for the first 2016 presidential debate
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The first 2016 presidential debate will begin at 9 p.m. Eastern live from Hofstra University in New York and will be streamed live on AOL.com.
RELATED: RCP general election poll average
