In a race for the White House that has known several twists and turns, Donald Trump has now pulled slightly ahead of Hillary Clinton in a new CNN/ORC poll.

After several weeks of trailing Clinton by as much as eight points, new polls show Trump now leading 45 percent to 43 percent among likely voters in a poll that holds a 3.5 percent margin of error.

Even given his nominal lead, pollsters found most respondents admit they still expect Clinton to prevail in November's general election, with 59 percent of all those surveyed agreeing they envision her reaching the 270 electoral votes needed to ascend to the White House, compared to just 34 percent for Trump.

Clinton Still Leads Among Registered Voters

In addition, among the broader pool of registered voters, Clinton tops Trump by a count of 44 percent to 41 percent with 9 percent for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and 3 percent for the Green Party's Jill Stein.

Meanwhile, Trump appears buoyed by a recent surge in support among independent voters. The New York City businessman leads Clinton by a staggering 20 points (49 percent to 29 percent) among that group.

Trump also leads among voters older than 45, (54 percent to 39 percent) and whites (55 percent to 34 percent) and males (54 percent to 32 percent).

On the flip side, Clinton leads among women (53 percent to 38 percent), voters under 45 (54 percent to 29 percent) and whites with a college degree (49 percent to 36 percent).

Dems Comprehensive Immigration Reform Favored

On the contentious issue of immigration, Clinton's plan for comprehensive immigration reform is favored by 49 percent of voters, versus the 47 percent who favor Trump's pledge of mass deportations. During a recent speech in Arizona, Trump reaffirmed his vow that there would be no amnesty for undocumented immigrants if he is elected.

At a slew of recent campaign events, Trump has insisted he would do more to improve life for all racial and ethnic minorities, a pledge that does not seem to resonating with most voters.

Nearly three in five of all those polled (58 percent) agreed Clinton would be better in that department, compared to just 36 percent who sided with Trump. Among minorities themselves, Clinton leads on the issue 86 percent to 12 percent.

Clinton also continues to be viewed as the candidate with the best temperament for the job, easily topping Trump at 56 percent to 36 percent.

The CNN/ORC Poll phone poll was conducted Sept. 1-4 among a random national sample of 1,001 adults. The survey included results among 886 registered voters and 786 likely voters.

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