US election 2024: Biden pulls even with Trump, despite Democrat’s disastrous debate – poll
- Biden and Trump each had 40% support among registered voters in the poll that concluded on Tuesday, days after a poor debate by the Democrat
US President Joe Biden pulled even with his Republican challenger Donald Trump this week in the race to win the November election, a sign the contest remains close even after a widely panned debate performance by the Democrat, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Biden and Trump each had 40 per cent support among registered voters in the two-day poll that concluded on Tuesday. A prior Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted June 11-12 showed Trump with a marginal 2 percentage point lead, 41 per cent to 39 per cent.
The two faced off in a televised debate last Thursday, where Biden stammered throughout and failed to challenge Trump’s attacks. The new Reuters/Ipsos poll also showed that, following the debate, about one-in-three Democrats think Biden should drop out of the race, something he has pledged not to do.
The poll, which gathered responses online and nationwide from 1,070 US adults, had a 3.5 percentage point margin of error for registered voters, many of whom remain on the fence with about four months left before the November 5 election. One in five registered voters said that they weren’t sure for whom to vote, that they would pick a different candidate, or that they would not vote at all.
The latest poll did not include a question on support for independent candidate Robert Kennedy, Jnr. The June poll found that 10 per cent of registered voters would back him if he appeared on the ballot.
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US presidential debate: Biden and Trump spar over economy, war in Ukraine
While nationwide surveys give important signals on American support for political candidates, just a handful of competitive states typically tilt the balance in the US Electoral College, which ultimately decides who wins a presidential election.
