Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is leading Democratic rival Hillary Clinton by just 6 percentage points in deep-red Texas, according to a new poll.
Trump gets 44 percent support to Clinton's 38 percent in the survey, which was done by Democratic-leaning firm Public Policy Polling. Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson received 6 percent, while Green Party nominee Jill Stein got 2 percent.
The past two GOP nominees easily won Texas by double digits. Mitt Romney carried the state by 16 points in 2012, and John McCain won by 12 points in 2008.
PPP said a Democratic win in Texas still appears distant but signs are emerging that the party can "become seriously competitive there in the years ahead." For example, the firm pointed out that Trump's advantage is "based entirely" on a wide lead over Clinton among seniors, 63 percent to 33 percent.
Polling on the presidential race in Texas has been scant, but the margin found by PPP is the narrowest yet. Previous surveys, including one commissioned by Democrats, have found Trump's lead ranging from seven to 11 points.
The margin of error for the PPP survey is plus or minus 3.2 percent. The firm surveyed 944 likely voters in Texas from Aug. 12-14, using a mix of phone and Internet interviews.
