Polls suggest that Hillary Clinton won Sunday’s bitter US presidential debate against Republican rival Donald Trump as he struggles to shake off a wave of criticism over lewd remarks about women.
But the snap surveys of debate watchers showed a less decisive victory for the Democratic candidate than when the two presidential hopefuls first went head-to-head last month.
A CNN/ORC poll of viewers gave Clinton a clear win in St. Louis on Sunday, with 57 percent saying she won as opposed to 34 percent for Trump.
But a YouGov survey showed a narrower victory, with 47 percent of registered voters who watched the debate saying she prevailed and 42 percent saying Donald Trump did. The rest said it was a tie.
Viewers had been more in agreement at the last debate that the former first lady and ex-Secretary of State had emerged victorious, when 62 percent of those surveyed for CNN/ORC said she won.
Expectations were low for Trump, who is under fire for recorded remarks in which he speaks of groping women and using his celebrity status to make them have sex with them.
Meanwhile, some people who watched the debate were so disgusted they said they wouldn’t vote or were weighing a third-party candidate or write-in option.
“I feel that it is wrong that these are the two choices I have,” said Patrick Trombetta, a Bernie Sanders supporter trying to decide between Clinton, Green Party candidate Jill Stein or writing Sanders in on the ballot.
John Burns, 42, is a registered Republican and self-described conservative who’s upset with his choices for president because he said both seem like Democrats. He took in the debate from a restaurant in Las Vegas at a watch party organized by the Clark County Republican Party, where attendees munched on fries and pigs-in-a-blanket and howled with laughter as Trump went on the offensive against Hillary Clinton.
Raised Mormon, Burns works with VIP customers at a Las Vegas casino and uses a wheelchair after being paralyzed in a motorcycle accident at age 21. 
He said his disability can make it hard for him to land a job, and the thought of people taking welfare benefits or abusing the system bothers him.
Burns said the video of Trump’s lewd talk didn’t move the dial much for him; he agrees that the conversation was off-the-record “locker-room banter” and thinks women can be just as bad in private.
“I think it shows a human side. I think it’s the politicians who are trying to make a political point,” he said.
Burns pumped his fist as Donald Trump described a plan to repeal and replace Obamacare. His deductible went from $500 to $3,000 and his boss told him it was a direct result of the law; it’s so expensive that it doesn’t even feel to him like he has insurance.
“I’m almost ready to just sit this vote out because I’m so fed up with both sides,” Burns said. “I want a clear constitutionalist to win this election, but that’s not going to happen. I don’t believe Trump’s conservatism. I think it’s what he’s saying to get himself elected.”

Source: Arab News