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Poll: Nearly two-thirds of debate watchers said Hillary Clinton won

Dickerson analyzes 1st debate
Who won the first Trump-Clinton debate? 03:25

Nearly two-thirds of voters said Monday that Hillary Clinton won the first general election debate that night at Hofstra University while close to a third said the same about Donald Trump, according to a CNN/ORC poll of voters who watched them face off.

More of the people polled were more likely to describe themselves as Democrats, CNN pointed out, but more than half of independents who watched, 54 percent, also said Clinton won the debate. A third of independents said Trump performed the best.

Fact-checking the first Clinton-Trump debate 02:47

Fifty-seven percent of voters who watched said that Clinton did a better job addressing voters’ concerns during the debate while 35 percent said the same about Trump.

More than half, 53 percent, said that Clinton was more sincere while 40 percent said they felt that way about Trump.

Nearly half of people surveyed, 47 percent, said the debate didn’t make a difference in their decision for November. Thirty-four percent said the debate made them more likely to support Clinton compared to 18 percent who said they are more likely to back Trump.

Voters appear split on which candidate is best to handle the U.S. economy, with 51 percent saying Clinton is best and 47 percent saying the same about Trump. The poll found 62 percent said Clinton would do a better job handling foreign policy while 35 percent felt that way about Trump. More than half, 54 percent, said Clinton would also be better to handle terrorism and 43 percent said the same about Trump.

The poll surveyed 521 registered voters who watched the debate with a 4.5 percentage point margin of error. 

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