Former president Donald Trump is ahead of President Joe Biden in five critical swing states, as voters continue to report dissatisfaction with the economy and the administration’s foreign policy, according to a new set of polls.
The new polls, conducted by the New York Times, Siena College and The Philadelphia Inquirer from April 28 to May 9, show Trump ahead of Biden in five of six battleground states: Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and Pennsylvania. Biden is leading Trump in Wisconsin by 2 percentage points among respondents who answered a question about who they would support if they “had to decide between the two today.”
Generally, men support Trump by a 19-percent margin, whereas women favor Biden by 6 percent, according to the new polls. While 63 percent of black voters lean toward supporting Biden, Hispanics are roughly split between the two candidates, with 45 percent favoring Biden and 42 percent favoring Trump, the polls found.
The percent of respondents who said there is “not really any chance” they’d support Biden in 2024 increased across all six states since November, the last time the poll was administered. Meanwhile, the percent of respondents who said there is “not really any chance” they’d support Trump in 2024 decreased across all six states since November.
Trump continued to lead Biden, even when third-party candidates were included, the polls found. While Robert F. Kennedy Jr. averaged 10 percent of the vote across the six states, he pulled his support roughly equally from Trump and Biden, the polls found.
The polls found that the economy — including jobs and the stock market — was the top issue for voters, with 21 percent of respondents saying it was the most important issue in deciding their vote in November. Immigration was second at 12 percent, followed by abortion at 11 percent.
A majority of respondents, or 51 percent, described the economic conditions in the country as “poor.” Fifty-eight percent of respondents said they trust Trump to do a better job on the economy, compared to 36 percent for Biden. Respondents similarly reported stronger faith in Trump to handle the Israel-Palestinian conflict, which has spilled over into America’s colleges in the form of chaotic protests that have resulted in police intervention and arrests.
The polls also found that most voters, or 51 percent, believe Trump, who touts himself as a law-and-order candidate, will do a better job handling crime than Biden.
An April Wall Street Journal poll also found Trump leading Biden in the six states, plus North Carolina. That poll also showed Biden ahead in Wisconsin, with a three-point advantage.