Clinton, Trump separated by one point in latest poll

A slim one point separates US presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, just nine days before the US elections, a new poll shows.

The results of the ABC News/Washington Post poll, which last week showed Clinton holding a 12-point lead over her rival, cement Trump’s resurgence in the past week and marking the potentially critical role of turnout in the election’s income.

The poll, released on Sunday, has Clinton with 46% voter support and Trump with 45%.

The candidates were within 2% of each other on Sept. 22, but Clinton built a double-digit lead after her challenger's erratic debate performances and mounting sexual harassment accusations. Sunday's poll says Trump also took a hit by having House Speaker Paul Ryan refuse to keep campaigning for him. 

But Clinton's lead has diminished after FBI Director James Comey announced Friday the bureau is investigating new emails that could be related to Clinton's use of a private email server.

Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate, retorted by saying that the investigations into her use of a private email server showed “deeply troubling” behaviour by the FBI Director.

“It is pretty strange to put something like that out with such little information right before an election… It’s not just strange, it's unprecedented and it's deeply troubling because voters deserve to get full and complete facts,” Clinton told supporters before urging Comey to provide a fuller explanation of the investigate steps he is taking.

About a third of likely voters say they're less likely to support Clinton following Comey's disclosure, according to the poll. The survey has consistently shown the majority of Americans disapproving of Clinton's overall handling of her email scandals. 

That said, most voters still expect Clinton to win the White House anyway, with 60% saying her victory is likely. The poll noted that the apparent inevitability of Clinton's win might be a “risk” that dissuades her supporters from coming out on Election Day.

Results also show that Clinton is seen as more qualified to serve as president and seen as having a stronger moral character. However, she and Trump received similar support in terms of empathy.

The poll included a random national sample of 1,160 likely voters and was conducted by phone between Oct. 25 and 28.