Six things to know in the final months of the campaign

Labor Day is the traditional starting gun of the final two-plus months of the presidential campaign — a time when even casual political watchers start to pay some attention. Given that the race is just starting for lots and lots of people, it’s worth revisiting what we know about the contours of the contest.

1 Hillary Clinton is the front-runner. With 65 days left until Nov. 8, this is Clinton’s race to lose. She is better funded, better organized and — marginally — better liked. She also is the beneficiary of demographic and resultant electoral college shifts in the country (more on that below). Although Clinton is the favorite, she has not — somewhat remarkably — closed the deal with a decent-size chunk of the electorate, who still have major questions about her honesty and trustworthiness. Her ham-handed response to the controversy over her use of a private e-mail server while she was secretary of state has exacerbated those issues. Still, if you are a betting person, she is the safer pick.

http://www.startribune.com/six-things-to-know-in-final-campaign-months/392305021/