Clinton leads in FL, CO, PA; tied in OH — new poll

A new round of battleground state polling released Monday by Quinnipiac University showed Hillary Clinton winning in Florida, Colorado and Pennsylvania. In Ohio, meanwhile, Clinton and Donald Trump were tied in the new poll.

Those four states are key for both candidates' White House hopes, as their electoral votes could tip the scales above the 270 needed to win. Quinnipiac said that its results showed independent likely voters shifted to Clinton, which helped build her leads.

"Secretary Clinton has held or increased her lead following the second debate," Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, said in a release accompanying the poll results. "Obviously the allegations by a number of women about Donald Trump's behavior have taken a toll among some of those who had been in his column."

Brown added that Clinton's leads in Florida and Pennsylvania are particularly good for her campaign, as "Trump probably can't win if he loses one of them, and he's toast if he loses both."

The full four-way results of the new poll:

Colorado: Clinton tops Trump 45 - 37 percent, with 10 percent for Gary Johnson and 3 percent for Jill Stein. On September 22, Clinton had 44 percent to Trump's 42 percent.

Florida: Clinton edges Trump 48 - 44 percent, with 4 percent for Johnson and 1 percent for Stein. On October 3, Clinton topped Trump 46 - 41 percent.

Ohio: Trump and Clinton tied 45 - 45 percent, with 6 percent for Johnson and 1 percent for Stein. On October 3, Trump led Clinton 47 - 42 percent.

Pennsylvania: Clinton leads Trump 47 - 41 percent, with 6 percent for Johnson and 1 percent for Stein. On October 3, Clinton was up 45 - 41 percent.