After first debate, 58.7% of small business owners said Trump was the winner, and 59.6% said they'd vote for Trump in November, per Manta poll. 60% of small business owners voted in their state primaries and caucuses-CNBC, 10/5/16

Small business owners
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Trump won debate 58.7
Hillary won debate 41.3

Will vote for Trump 59.6
Will vote for Hillary 40.4

Sept. 26-28, 2016 poll. 834 small business owners via Manta on-site poll.

10/5/16, "Small business says Trump is their pick for president," CNBC, Lori Ioannou

"The group that is composed of 28 million business owners is a major voting block in the upcoming election. 

Yet if the last presidential debate is any guide, the Republican ticket has an advantage. According to an exclusive nationwide poll with Manta, a social network for small businesses, Trump won the first debate in the eyes of small businesses on Main Street.

Manta's survey, which polled a diverse group of 834 small-business owners nationwide between Sept. 26 and Sept. 28 revealed that Republican candidate and business mogul Donald Trump was the winner, with 58.7 percent. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton garnered 41.3 percent of their vote.

The results were different for women business owners. The 53.7 percent of the contingent said Hillary won the debate because of her support for small-business issues. 

According to John Swanciger, CEO of Manta, "small business owners are highly invested in this election— and for good reason. This year alone, we've seen updates to the minimum wage, overtime regulations, and continuing healthcare policy changes. 

With such important issues on the line, we'll likely see more small business owners tuning into the debates and showing up to polls come Nov. 8.

The poll revealed that top concerns for small-business owners in order of priority are 

access to capital (lending by financial institutions) [80%], 
hiring, 
religious freedom [77.5%], 
foreign policy, 
immigration, 
health care and taxes. 

Almost 80 percent said raising capital was their No. 1 concern. And 77.5 percent said religious freedom was No. 2. 

Getting a pulse reading on small business and the election is key. 

The sector is a key contributor and driver of the U.S. economy. The nation's 28 million small businesses represent 54 percent of all U.S. sales and have provided 55 percent of all jobs since the 1970s, according to the Small Business Administration. 

Their vote can be a big swing factor in the election, considering a stunning 60 percent voted in their state primaries and caucuses and should be casting their ballots in November."

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"Overall, 59.6% of small business owners said they’d vote for Trump, and 40.4% said they’d vote for Clinton after watching the debate. A Manta poll conducted in mid-August found that 39% favored Trump, 27% favored Clinton and 35% were undecided.
Poll methodology: Between 9/26 and 9/28/16, Manta surveyed 834 small business owners via on-site poll. The margin of error is +/- 3.39 percentage points with a 95% confidence."

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