- Biden continues to defend his candidacy after his poor debate performance against Trump.
- But a new Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll showed he has caught up in key states.
- In the poll, Biden leads in Michigan and Wisconsin and is only slightly behind in other key states.
President Joe Biden’s widely criticized debate sent his campaign into disarray.
But while some recent polls showed former President Donald Trump with a wider lead than before the debate, a new Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll showed Biden gaining ground in the most important places of all: swing states.
According to the latest poll, Trump has a 47% to 45% overall edge over Biden in key battleground states, the closest result between the two candidates since tracking surveys began last fall.
Biden leads Trump in Michigan (48% to 43%) and Wisconsin (47% to 44%), two states where the incumbent president absolutely must win. The president trails Trump but remains within the margin of error in Arizona (45% to 48%), Georgia (46% to 47%), Nevada (45% to 48%) and North Carolina (43% to 46%).
But it’s not all rosy for the president. Biden is trailing by seven points in Pennsylvania, where he was born and spent much of his campaign. Trump has a 51% to Biden’s 44% lead in that state, a major red flag.
The Bloomberg News/Morning Consult survey also found that 39% of swing-state voters — well below a majority — said Biden should “definitely” or “probably” continue his candidacy. Biden saw higher support among liberals. For Trump, 50% said the former president should “definitely” or “probably” stay in the race.
Biden has faced repeated calls — from some sitting Democratic lawmakers and a string of donors — to step aside and allow the party to choose a new standard-bearer before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month.
In recent days, there have also been several reports of lawmakers wanting to meet with Biden to discuss the viability of his campaign.
The White House, for its part, has so far rejected reports that Biden is considering leaving.
In a highly anticipated interview on ABC News on Friday, Biden told host George Stephanopoulos that he was “exhausted” and had not followed his instincts before the debate, but insisted he would remain in the presidential race.
