Clinton ahead in 10 out of 11 swing states as Trump loses lead in Ohio

Republican Donald Trump has lost his lead in Ohio, with the latest US election polls showing Hillary Clinton now leading in 10 out of 11 swing states.

The most recent data shows Trump is now 2.9 points below Clinton in the key battleground state – losing a previous lead of 0.5 points on his Democrat rival.

In addition to making gains in Ohio, Clinton has also seen her popularity increase in Florida and Pennsylvania – meaning she now holds the three swing states with the greatest number of Electoral College votes, and is experiencing growing support there.

The swing states with the highest number of Electoral College votes are: Florida (29), Pennsylvania (20), Ohio (18), Michigan (16) and North Carolina (15), with Ohio viewed as something of a predictor for how the election will play out, given the diversity of the state.

With Trump having seen success in the Ohio polls previously, he will no doubt be looking to win back his popularity there, name-checking the state during the recent presidential debate during a comment about rebuilding industry in the US.

Clinton's continuing swing state support follows a slight bump in her numbers from the initial presidential debate on 26 September, and a bad few weeks for Trump after an article by the New York Times suggesting he had avoided paying some taxes for 18 years.

A portion of the polls were also taken as footage emerged of Trump commenting that being famous meant you could get away with sexually assaulting women; a revelation that led to many high-profile members of the GOP – including John McCain – deserting their own nominee.

It is not yet clear whether the footage will have a long-lasting impact on Trump's numbers, with polling data from the most recent presidential debate on 9 October not yet available, but with less than a month to go before the election, the Republican candidate is running out of time to claw back a swing state lead.

And although Trump retains his lead in Iowa, there was bad news for the GOP there too, as Clinton was up an average 1.3 points and Trump down by 0.3 points.

However, the Republican candidate did make slight gains in several states including Nevada, where he is less than a point behind Clinton, and New Hampshire, where he is trailing Clinton by more than six points.

The latest polls have been backed up by the number of Democrats casting early votes in swing states including North Carolina and Florida, UPI reported, which could prove to be a positive sign for the party.

Clinton's campaign reportedly believes up to 40% of people in some swing states could cast their vote early – in what they are hoping will be an early lead on election day.