High-income voters turn back on GOP in favour of Clinton

The highest earners in the US appear to be swinging towards a vote for Hillary Clinton in the upcoming presidential election, bringing to an end a long-running tendency for top-earners to vote Republican.

The latest poll from Bloomberg Politics shows Clinton with a 46%-42% lead over GOP rival Donald Trump for likely voters earning $100,000 or more.

Traditionally, these high-income earners have loyally backed the Republican candidate in presidential elections in the US, as recently as Mitt Romney winning a 10 point victory over Barack Obama in 2012.

Both candidates have obtained consistently high negative ratings among this segment of the population, as just 36% view Trump favourably, and only 42% view Clinton favourably.

Purple Strategies, the company which carried out the poll on behalf of Bloomberg, said that Trump may still be able to win back those high-income voters.

"While he trails in the vote, Trump has advantages on economic and investment issues that matter to these higher-income voters," said spokesman Doug Usher.

"His campaign’s detours have put him on weaker ground overall. Closing the gap will depend on bringing the conversation back to jobs, trade, and the economy."