The FBI announced last week they found new emails on a laptop used by Anthony Weiner and his wife, Huma Abedin, which may be pertinent for their investigation of Clinton's use of a private email server. What impact will the new email investigation have on the election?
1.Hillary’s leading in the polls, so she can take a hit
Currently, Hillary leads Trump in polls by about 2–6%, meaning she has some room for error. When FBI director James Comey announced there was no wrongdoing after the investigation into Hillary’s email server, her polls dropped by about 2%. It would make sense that the same pattern would repeat itself this time around. Granted, it’s not preferable for a scandal to break right before an election, but Clinton does have some leeway, and I believe, can take a hit of 1–2% in the polls.
2.Hillary’s emails are no longer a point of interest and therefore the scandal comes too late in the election cycle
A lot has surfaced during this election. Clinton’s emails, Benghazi, Bill Clinton’s infidelities (for some reason), Trump and his horrible lewd remarks, the allegations of Trump’s sexual assaults, and a lot more have all dominated the news cycle. Having FBI director Comey reopen the investigation is very strange, but it doesn’t necessarily yell guilt. No information has been released yet on the subject of these emails, and whether they really are damning. Besides, Hillary’s emails have been an area of so much scrutiny, her email controversy almost becomes a mute point.
The race could end up in a tighter situation, where Clinton loses some ground in Ohio (where she’s already behind Trump) as well as some other states where she used to lead but has taken a hit in, such as Arizona and North Carolina. However, Clinton holds an electoral college advantage, where she leads in Virginia, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire, giving her the necessary 270 electoral votes to win.
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| Clinton reaches the 270 necessary electoral votes without Ohio, Florida, or North Carolina |
In the end, I think Comey will come out and say the emails showed nothing, and the election just reverts back to the way it was before his announcement. Of course, this assumes the Clinton’s don’t have a devastating Trump card to play.
