WASHINGTON: The race for the White House, which entered its final stage this week, is shaping up as a contest between two highly unpopular candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

And so far, that seems to be the only certain factor in an election campaign that see-sawed almost every week since it began about a year ago.

When Mr Trump, a billionaire with an ego bigger than his wealth, entered the race, he was dismissed by most political analysts as an outsider with no roots in the Republican Party, whose nomination he sought. And yet, he went on to win the nomination, in the process defeating some seasoned politicians and heirs of established political families like Jeb Bush.

But political pundits predicted that the gimmicks and somersaults that made him a darling of the so-called “angry Republican voters” will not work in the general election.

And until Monday most media outlets, including those considered pro-Republican, were predicting that Mrs Clinton, the Democrat, had a clear edge over her Republican rival.

But a new CNN/ORC Poll, released on Tuesday, says that the two candidates are now on an even ground, with Mr Trump edging Mrs Clinton by a scant two points among likely voters.

Mr Trump tops Mrs Clinton 45 per cent to 43pc in the new survey, with Libertarian Gary Johnson standing at seven per cent and the Green Party’s Jill Stein at just two per cent.

Yet, 59pc voters, when asked who they think will prevail on Nov 8, said it will be Mrs Clinton while only 34pc said Mr Trump.

Such predictions only add to the confusion that has shadowed this election campaign since it began. However, there is no confusion on one point, both candidates are unpopular.

An ABC News/Washington Post poll released this week shows that Mrs Clinton and Mr Trump are the two most unpopular presidential candidates in more than 30 years.

Among adult Americans, Mrs Clinton has a 56pc unpopularity rating, down six points in three weeks. Mr Trump’s unpopularity is higher, at 63pc.

The New York Times polling average, published on Monday, gives Mrs Clinton a 43pc popularity rating while Mr Trump stands at 40pc.

In all the 10 polls cited in the NYT average, no candidate crossed the 50pc popularity mark, although in one — UPI/CVoter — Mrs Clinton comes close with 49pc, compared to Mr Trump’s 46pc.

Perhaps media outlets base their analysis on these popularity — or unpopularity — ratings when they predict that Mrs Clinton is more likely to be the next president.

Even the Wall Street Journal, which is considered pro-Republican, notes that “by conventional measures—polling, fundraising, campaign staff—the race is Hillary Clinton’s to lose.”

The New York Times, in its latest forecast, updated on Monday, gave Mrs Clinton an 86pc chance of winning the presidency and only 14pc to Mr Trump.

“She is better funded, better organized and — marginally — better liked,” says The Washington Post while explaining why Mrs Clinton is more likely to win.

The Post also notes that since May 3 — when Mr Trump crushed Senator Ted Cruz in a primary and effectively sealed the Republican nomination — his ‘newness’ has worn off. “There is no ‘new’ or ‘other’ Trump; there is just this Trump, take him or leave him,” says the newspaper, explaining how Americans are now suffering from a Trump fatigue.

But the Post also warns that Mrs Clinton has not yet “closed the deal with a decent-size chunk of the electorate, which still has major questions about her honesty and trustworthiness.”

The Wall Street Journal notes that Mr Trump is trying to beat the odds, as he did repeatedly through the Republican primary season. “He has stepped up his fundraising and is getting substantial help in the field from the Republican National Committee.”

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2016