By Stephen Macaulay

In the most-recent Quinnipiac Poll the results between Joe Biden and Donald Trump — 48% to 45% -- are, according to the organization, within the margin of error and consequently too close to call.

But there are other factors that could come into play that would be still closer but not definitive.

Like the third-party candidates.

In this case it would be like this:

•Trump:                         39%

•Biden:                          38%

•Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.:    13%

•Jill Stein:                      4%

•Cornel West:                  3%

It’s a shame that Pat Paulsen has been dead since 1997 because he could run again, too, and arguably one of his campaign slogans would have made him more competitive and likely reduce the Trump percentage:

“Just a common, ordinary, simple savior of America’s destiny.”

Almost sounds like proto-MAGA.

But there is something else that could work to Trump’s benefit:

Conviction in the New York falsifying business records case (a.k.a., the “hush money” case).

That’s right. Being guilty as charged.

If convicted, the general mix of voters surveyed is mixed. That is, Quinnipiac found that 29% would be less likely to vote for Trump, 55% said it would make no difference, and 12% say that they would be more likely to vote for him.

But the numbers for the Trump partisans, the full-on faithful, is where he could really cash in on being convicted:

•10% less likely

•62% neutral

•26% more likely

That’s right: a quarter of those Trump-inclined would be more supportive of a convicted criminal than they otherwise would be.

In the overall scenario, there is a 38% upside (i.e., the neutral and the more likely minus the less likely).

In the Trump voter scenario, that jumps to 78%.

Instead of trying to delay and otherwise obstruct the trial Trump ought to be working toward getting convicted.