Jun 25, 2020 - Politics & Policy

NYT polling shows Biden leading Trump in 6 key battleground states

Photo: Michael Brochstein/Echoes Wire/Barcroft Media via Getty Images

Joe Biden leads President Trump in six key battleground states, according to New York Times/Siena College polling released Thursday.

Why it matters: The states — Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida, Arizona, Wisconsin and North Carolina — were all won by Trump in 2016 and were instrumental in his Electoral College victory.

  • Biden's lead extends to double digits in some of the states — 11 points in Michigan and Wisconsin and 10 points in Pennsylvania. He leads by nine points in North Carolina, seven points in Arizona and six points in Florida.
  • Trump's poor standing is driven by an erosion in support from white voters, one of his key constituencies.
  • That trend has been noted by other outlets as well. Cook Political Report moved Michigan from "toss up" to "leans Democratic" last week, citing Trump's sliding numbers in a state heavily populated by his white, working-class base.

By the numbers: Voters' views on Trump's handling of the economy remains a bright spot for the president — 56% of those in the battleground polling approve of his economic policies.

  • But Trump faces headwinds on his handling of the protests against police brutality and racial injustice as only 31% believe he has handled them well.
  • 55% of the battleground voters said they believe the federal government should be working to limit the spread of the coronavirus, even if it hurts the economy, while just 35% said the federal government needs to restart the economy.

The big picture: The Times' national poll has Biden ahead by 14 points — 50% to 36% — and his margins have widened amid the coronavirus pandemic and protests.

Methodology: This poll was conducted from June 8 to 18 and has a sample size of 3,870 registered voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Florida, Arizona, Wisconsin and North Carolina. The margin of sampling error for an individual state poll ranges from plus-or-minus 4.1 to 4.6 percentage points. The margin of sampling error on the full battleground sample is plus-or-minus 1.8 percentage points.

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