WASHINGTON: Former vice president Joe Biden continues to outpace President Donald Trump in two crucial Midwest battlegrounds, currently holding a slight lead over the president in Michigan while showing a much more substantial advantage in Wisconsin, according to a pair of Washington Post-ABC News polls.
The surveys show Biden narrowly ahead of Trump among likely voters in Michigan by 51 per cent to 44 per cent, with Libertarian Party nominee Jo Jorgensen at 3 per cent. In Wisconsin, likely voters favor Biden by 57 per cent to 40per cent, with Jorgensen at 2per cent. Among registered voters, Biden’s edge in Michigan is five points, while he leads by 17 points in Wisconsin.
Biden’s margins in both states are driven by overwhelming support among female likely voters. He leads Trump by 24 points among those women in Michigan and by 30 points in Wisconsin. Biden trails Trump among Michigan men by double digits, and the two are running about even among men in Wisconsin.
The findings suggest concerns about the coronavirus are weighing heavily on Trump’s candidacy, particularly in Wisconsin, which has seen case counts climb to record levels in recent weeks. When it comes to handling the pandemic, Biden is trusted more than Trump by double digits in both states, and large majorities support their state’s rules on masks and restrictions on businesses and public gatherings.
In the contested Michigan Senate race, Democratic Sen. Gary Peters has a small edge over Republican challenger John James, by 52 per cent to 46 per cent among likely voters and by 49 per cent to 45 per cent among registered voters.
Along with Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan are among a trio of states seen as vitally important to both the president and the former vice president in their efforts to assemble the 270 electoral votes needed for victory. Trump carried all three in 2016, shocking Democrats who had long enjoyed victories there, but by less than one percentage point each and a collective margin of fewer than 78,000 votes. Biden has held a steady lead in the polls in all three since summer.
The Wisconsin findings are significantly more bullish for Biden than some other public polls, which generally show him ahead by single digits, although two October surveys gave the former vice president a lead in the low double-digits. A month ago, a Post-ABC poll showed Biden with a lead of six points among likely voters in the state.
The Washington Post
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