US race grows tighter as Clinton grapples with email fallout

Polls show Donald Trump catching up with Democratic rival nationwide and edging ahead of her in key Florida state.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton poses with early voters in Pompano Beach, Florida, on October 30, 2016. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images / AFP

Miami // Polls released on Sunday showed the US presidential race growing tighter as Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton grappled with the fallout from the FBI revelation that more of her emails were under review.

With the election just nine days away, an ABC News/Washington Post poll put the former secretary of state just one point ahead of her Republican challenger, Donald Trump, at 46-45 per cent of likely voters in a four-way race.

In Florida, where Mrs Clinton was campaigning yesterday and which Mr Trump must win to have any hope of victory, the real estate tycoon overcame a one-point deficit to lead, according to a New York Times poll.

The poll gave Mr Trump 46 per cent of likely voters compared to Mrs Clinton’s 42 per cent, with former governor Gary Johnson dropping to 4 per cent and Green Party candidate Jill Stein on 2 per cent.

While the 69-year-old former first lady, looking to make history as America’s first female commander-in-chief, is still overwhelmingly expected to win the November 8 ballot, Mr Trump was quick to crow on Sunday.

“We are now leading in many polls, and many of these were taken before the criminal investigation announcement on Friday – great in states!” the 70-year-old businessman tweeted.

Mrs Clinton was in Florida for a second day after addressing thousands of supporters at a Jennifer Lopez concert in Miami on Saturday and calling the FBI director James Comey’s actions “deeply troubling”.

In a letter to legislators on Friday, Mr Comey said his agency was reviewing a newly discovered trove of emails, resurrecting an issue that the Clinton campaign thought was behind it.

"It was long on innuendo, short on facts, so we're calling on Mr Comey to come forward and explain what's at issue here," Mrs Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta told CNN Sunday.

“It’s unprecedented and it is deeply troubling because voters deserve to get full and complete facts,” Mrs Clinton said on Saturday.

“So we’ve called on director Comey to explain everything right away, put it all out on the table, right?”

Leading Democratic senators have also written to Mr Comey and his boss, attorney general Loretta Lynch, urging them to make clear by Monday night whether the new emails are pertinent to the investigation into Clinton’s handling of classified material that the FBI closed in July.

But the Trump campaign – itself reeling from accusations of sexual misconduct against the tycoon from at least 12 women – has been eager to exploit the FBI’s decision.

"You see the polls closing in states around the country," Mr Trump's running mate Mike Pence told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday.

“The American people are focusing on the big issues in this country. Frankly, I think they have come to the conclusion that Hillary Clinton is a risky choice to be the next president of the United States.”

Campaign manager Kellyanne Conway lashed out at Mrs Clinton for going after Mr Comey.

“She just has to call her friend and confidante, Huma Abedin and say tell us what’s in the emails, tell us what’s on the devices that you shared with your paedophile husband,” she told Fox News.

“I think it’s a terrible strategy but it’s very much the strategy of Hillary Clinton throughout her career which is to shoot the messenger, attack the person who’s calling into question your fitness for office.”

According to the New York Times, the FBI probe was renewed after agents seized a laptop used by Ms Abedin and her now estranged husband, Anthony Weiner.

Mr Weiner, a disgraced former congressman who resigned in 2011 after sending explicit online messages, is under investigation over allegations he sent sexual overtures to a 15-year-old girl.

“This is the biggest political scandal since Watergate, and it’s everybody’s deepest hope that justice at last will be beautifully delivered,” Mr Trump told a rally in Arizona on Saturday.

Mrs Clinton’s campaign has been overshadowed from the start by allegations she put US secrets at risk by using a private server based in her home for all email correspondence as secretary of state.

In reality, it seems unlikely that much progress will be made in the investigation before polling day and few observers expect Mrs Clinton to face criminal charges.

Media reports citing FBI insiders suggest agents do not yet know whether the latest batch contains any new emails or classified information.

In July, Mr Comey criticised Mrs Clinton’s handling of sensitive information but recommended no charges be brought, and she appeared to be in the clear.

The latest poll of polls by tracker site RealClearPolitics put Mrs Clinton on average 3.4 percentage points ahead of the Republican nationwide.

* Agence France-Presse