Former President Trump and President Biden are neck and neck in hypothetical matchups in two key states, according to the latest polls from The New York Times and Siena College.
In the poll released on Monday, Trump leads Biden by 3 points (48% support vs. 45%) among likely voters in Pennsylvaniawhile Biden leads Trump by 3 points (48 percent support to 45 percent) among likely voters in Virginia. The results are within the margins of error of both surveys.
The polls were conducted after Biden’s shaky debate performance last month – which sparked a public debate over his position at the top of the Democratic Party ticket – but before last Saturday’s assassination attempt on Trump. The shooting shook the country and could affect poll results in unforeseen ways.
Biden’s result in the July 2024 Pennsylvania poll remains largely unchanged from the previous poll, conducted in late April to early May of this year. On that surveyTrump led Biden by 3 points among registered voters, 47% support vs. 44%.
Biden won Pennsylvania in 2020 by a slim margin, and the state is again considered a key battleground this year, remaining key to his re-election chances.
Polls have noted that Biden’s slim lead in Virginia should be more concerning to the president’s re-election team, as he won Virginia by 10 points in 2020.
The polls also gauged voter sentiment toward Vice President Harris amid some party calls for her to replace Biden as the party’s nominee.
She does slightly better than Biden in both states, but the differences remain within margins of error. In Pennsylvania, Harris cuts Trump’s lead to just 1 point, garnering 47% support to Trump’s 48% among likely voters. In Virginia, Harris leads Trump by 5 points, 49% support versus 44%.
The president and his team reaffirmed their commitment to staying in the race, despite calls from several dozen Democrats for him to step aside. Several Democrats renewed their support for Biden and criticized other party members for attacking the candidate.
The Pennsylvania poll of 872 voters was conducted July 9-11 and has a margin of sampling error of 3.8 percentage points. The Virginia poll of 661 voters was conducted July 9-12 and has a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
