Sales of Halloween masks point to ominous prediction for Hillary Clinton

Halloween, a holiday known more for disguises than revelations, may be able to predict the winner of the quickly approaching presidential election.

As candidates, pundits and supporters boast about and feverishly agonize over polling numbers in hopes of predicting the next president, perhaps their attention would be better spent checking receipts at a local costume store. Dating back to Richard Nixon's presidential run, the candidate whose Halloween mask sells the most is far more likely to win the election.

If that trend continues, Election Day could be frightening for Hillary Clinton voters. According Savers/Value Village, Donald Trump masks are outselling Clinton masks by 7 percentage points, as the Deluxe Trump mask's sell-through is at 76 percent while the Deluxe Clinton masks are selling at 69 percent.

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However, there are of course many factors that set this year's contest apart from previous elections. And if there were a year that the Halloween mask indicator got things wrong, it would probably be the year a former reality television star went up against the first female presidential nominee in history. If anything, the correlation between Halloween masks and election outcomes may point to the importance of name, or face, recognition.

But even looking at key swing states like Colorado, New Hampshire and Ohio, the billionaire businessman's mask is outselling the former secretary of state's, with Trump's highest sell-through rates in Wisconsin and the lowest in Nevada. Numbers that are sure to spook the Clinton campaign.

This election year in general seems to be a treat for Halloween costume sellers, as both presidential candidates' costumes are selling at twice the rate compared to other Halloween merchandise.