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Thursday, April 18, 2024 | Back issues
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Poll: Biden Tops Trump in Battlegrounds Michigan, Minnesota and Pennsylvania

President Donald Trump continues to trail former Vice President Joe Biden in a series of crucial battleground states, according to new polling data.

(CN) — President Donald Trump continues to trail former Vice President Joe Biden in a series of crucial battleground states, according to new polling data.

A new Fox News Poll released Thursday reports that in three battleground states potentially critical to Trump’s re-election prospects — Michigan, Minnesota and Pennsylvania — the president lags well behind the presumptive Democratic nominee and is notably underperforming compared to his 2016 results.

In Michigan, Biden currently commands a nine-point advantage over the president, 49-40%, a one-point boost for the Democrat compared to an April poll.

The poll shows that 11% of voters in Michigan say they are either undecided or intend to support a third party candidate — a potentially significant pool of voters given Michigan is a state Trump won in 2016 by less than a quarter of a percent.

Biden’s advantage stems from his strong support among women. Among female Michiganders, 35% say they back Trump while 53% say they are behind Biden.

Support from men, however, is spilt between the two candidates. Despite Biden’s notable lead among women, both candidates have the backing of 45% of male Michigan voters apiece.

Biden’s lead also comes from a series of other crucial voting blocs in Michigan, according to the poll. The former vice president and senator from Delaware currently holds a 61-point lead among nonwhite voters, a 19-point lead among independents, a 17-point lead among voters over the age of 65 and a 9-point lead among suburban voters.

Voters most enthusiastic about the upcoming presidential contest tend to back Biden as well. Of the 53% of voters who said they are “extremely interested” in the election, over half say they are throwing their support behind Biden and 43% say they are behind Trump.

Trump’s polling woes in the state also extend to his approval numbers, with just 45% of Michigan voters approving of the job he’s doing while 54% disapprove. In April, Trump’s ratings were only four points upside down, 47-51.

Trump’s silver lining in Michigan rests with white voters and white voters without a college degree. The president leads Biden among these voters by 5 and 10 points, respectively.

Biden also continues to do well in Minnesota, a state Trump lost in 2016 by just a point and a half. According to the poll, Biden currently enjoys 51% support of Minnesota voters while 38% support Trump. Another 12% say they have not made up their minds yet or will support a third-party option.

Biden’s support in Minnesota comes virtually from the same groups and demographics that give Biden the edge in Michigan, with Biden leading among women voters, white voters with a college degree and seniors.

Trump does slightly better than Biden among white voters without a college degree and holds on to a small lead among male Minnesotans.

Trump’s approval rating in the state, however, is in the red. Just 42% of Minnesota voters say they think Trump is doing a good job in office while 57% say they think he’s done poorly — a 15-point negative margin for the president.

This troubling polling trend continues for Trump in Pennsylvania, a state he won in 2016 by less than a point. Biden tops the president among Keystone State voters by a double-digit figure, 50%-39%.

Much like the other two battleground states, both Biden and Trump are drawing the bulk of their support from groups that have always been behind them. Biden does well among Pennsylvania suburbanites and women, while Trump does well with white voters without a college degree and rural voters.

Like the other states, however, Trump’s approval rating in Pennsylvania is underwater, 42%-56%.

In all three battleground states, Biden also holds the most trust from voters on the issues of race relations and the nation’s response to Covid-19, while voters are more split on who they trust the most regarding the economy.

Thursday’s Fox News poll contained a sample size of 756 Michigan voters, 776 Minnesota voters and 793 Pennsylvania voters. The poll has a 3.5% margin of error.

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Categories / Politics

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