Biden makes a comeback to rival Trump in crucial swing states

President Joe Biden is closing the gap with former President Donald Trump in several swing states, according to a Bloomberg/Morning Consult poll.

For the first time in months, Biden appears competitive with Trump in key states. The poll was conducted from March 8 to 15, giving voters a chance to weigh Biden’s fiery State of the Union address.

Biden performed the best in Rust Belt states, such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, where he either led by 1 point or was tied with Trump. However, the former president maintained a significant margin in Arizona by 5 points and North Carolina by 6.

In Nevada, Biden drew close to Trump at 46%-44%, within the poll’s margin of error. Trump’s lead grew in Georgia, where he is up by 7 against Biden.

Voters were overall optimistic about their local economies but did not feel the same about the national economy. Of the people polled, 32% said they were optimistic about the national economy, while 53% were optimistic about their local economy. 

The poll asked about various vice presidential picks for the former president, including Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR), Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), and Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL). Save for Huckabee Sanders, the majority of those polled had not heard of or had no opinions on the picks. 

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When including third-party candidates such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in all swing states combined, Trump beat Biden by 47%-43%. When all other candidates were included, Trump’s margin increased to 43%-38%, with Kennedy getting 9%.

The polls tried to measure a key question going into this election: whether Trump is better at garnering Republican support or Biden galvanizing voters to vote against Trump. Since October 2023, Trump reached 50% of the vote in only one state, North Carolina. The Biden campaign is hoping it can rally a vote against Trump.