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Biden Maintains Lead Over Trump in National, Key State Polls

Democrat Joe Biden has a lead among potential voters nationally.

Biden Maintains Lead Over Trump in National, Key State Polls
Former Vice President Joe Biden, Democratic presidential nominee, speaks during the Democratic National Convention in Wilmington, U.S. (Photographer: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg)

Democrat Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump among potential voters nationally, according to two polls conducted in the past few days, while other surveys showed Biden ahead in key swing states and running close in others.

In a poll by the Washington Post and ABC News, Biden had a 10 percentage point advantage over Trump. Biden’s lead was eight points in another survey conducted by the New York Times and Siena College.

With those surveys added, Biden’s lead over Trump, according to the RealClearPolitics average of recent polls, was 7 points.

In the Washington Post poll, Biden and running mate Kamala Harris had 54% support among likely voters compared with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence at 44%. Among registered voters, Biden had a 53% to 43% lead. The margin is statistically unchanged from the 12-point gap in the survey’s August version, taken before both parties held their conventions.

Biden is ahead of Trump by 65% to 34% among the women surveyed, while 55% of men polled supported Trump compared with 42% for Biden, according to the report. The poll was conducted by telephone Monday through Thursday among a random national sample of 1,008 U.S. adults. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

In the New York Times poll, the former vice president was leading Trump 49% to 41% among likely voters. Women favored Biden by 53% to 37%, while the candidates were tied among men, both at 45%.

A total of 950 likely voters were polled between Tuesday and Thursday for the New York Times/Siena College poll, which had a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points, the report said.

Both surveys were taken after the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg but before Trump’s nomination of federal Judge Amy Coney Barrett on Saturday. Biden led Trump by eight points on the question of who was more trusted to handle the next appointment to the Supreme Court, according to Washington Post and ABC.

The same question had Biden leading over Trump by 50% to 43% in the New York Times/Siena poll, with 56% thinking the next justice should be appointed by the winner of the upcoming election.

Among state polls released on Sunday:

  • CBS News showed Biden up by 2 points in North Carolina, 48% to 46%.
  • In Georgia, Trump was up by 1 point over Biden, 47% to 46%, according to CBS.
  • Michigan likely voters favor Biden over Trump by 8 points, 52% to 44%, according to an NBC News/Marist poll.
  • In Wisconsin, Biden holds a 10-point edge over Trump, 54% to 44%, NBC/Marist said.
  • Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham is in a tight race to keep his seat in South Carolina, leading Democrat Jaime Harrison by 45% to 44%.
  • In North Carolina, Republican Senator Thom Tillis trails his Democratic challenger Cal Cunningham by a 10-point margin, 38% to 48%.

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