President Joe Biden has made significant strides in narrowing the gap against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump in six out of seven critical swing states, according to the latest Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll released on Tuesday.
While Trump still maintains an edge when considering all seven states collectively, leading by 47% to 43%, Biden has substantially closed the distance between them. When factoring in third-party candidates, Trump retains his lead with 43% compared to Biden’s 38%. Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is anticipated to reveal his choice for running mate soon, garnered 9%, while Cornell West and Jill Stein each secured 1%.
Notable gains for Biden were observed in Wisconsin, where he now leads Trump by one point after trailing by four points in February, and in Pennsylvania, where the candidates are now tied following Trump’s previous six-point advantage.
Conducted from March 8 to March 15, the poll surveyed 4,932 registered voters across Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and North Carolina, with a margin of error of 1 percentage point and varying sample sizes across the states.
While Biden exhibits the most competitiveness in the so-called “blue wall” states, he has also managed to reduce his deficit points in Nevada, Arizona, and North Carolina while expanding his lead in Georgia.
Moreover, over one-third of voters have reported encountering positive news about Biden subsequent to his State of the Union address, potentially assuaging some concerns within the party regarding his age.
With age being a focal point, approximately six in 10 voters emphasized the importance of the candidates’ running mates, particularly considering Biden’s age of 81 and Trump’s age of 78 on election day.
The poll revealed a seven-point decrease from the February survey, which occurred after special counsel Robert Hur’s report described Biden as elderly with a “poor memory.”
When asked about their support for the candidates, there was a discrepancy between Trump and Biden supporters regarding whether their choice was driven by opposition to the opposing candidate. While fewer than three out of 10 Trump supporters cited voting against Biden as their motive, nearly half of Biden supporters admitted to selecting him as a means to vote against Trump.
Additionally, the polled voters expressed greater trust in Trump over Biden concerning economic matters and a wide array of monetary issues, encompassing interest rates and job availability.
Notably, there is a growing sense of optimism regarding the economy among swing-state voters, with the proportion of those believing the economy is on the right track increasing by 6 points from 26% in October to 32% presently. However, the percentage of individuals prioritizing the economy as the foremost concern decreased from 39% to 34%, while the number citing immigration as the top issue doubled to 17%.
