Presidential race in statistical deadlock two weeks after debate: Survey
The race between President Biden and former President Trump is in a statistical deadlock two weeks after the first presidential debate, a new survey found.
The survey, conducted by Marist National Poll for NPR and PBS News, found that among registered voters, the race is still as close as ever, despite the chaos following Biden after his poor debate performance.
When asked if the general election were held today, 50 percent of voters say they would cast their ballot for Biden. Trump earned 48 percent, and 2 percent are undecided.
NPR noted that Biden actually gained a point since last month’s survey.
Among voters who say they definitely plan to vote in this November’s election, Trump and Biden are tied, each with 45 percent.
“Despite a series of cataclysmic political events, including Trump’s felony convictions and Biden’s abysmal debate performance, the race for the White House remains essentially unchanged,” Lee Miringoff, the director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, said in a statement. “But Biden needs to restore confidence among his party faithful that he can win.”
Biden loses support when third-party candidates are added to the mix. Trump comes out on top with 43 percent to Biden’s 42 percent with additional candidates.
Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. receives 8 percent, independent Cornel West earns 3 percent and Green Party candidate Jill Stein earns 2 percent. Two percent are undecided if third-party candidates are included in the question.
The numbers are within the survey’s 3.1 percentage point margin of error, meaning actual results could be 3 points higher or lower than what’s reflected right now.
As concerns over Biden’s political future persist, Democrats are worried that his staying in the race could hurt House and Senate races as well.
Earlier this week, polling found Trump is gaining ground in key swing states and the Michigan Senate race was shifted from “Lean Democrat” to a “toss up.”
Biden and his campaign have been in cleanup mode over the last two weeks. He’s held campaign events, sat for interviews and held his first solo press conference of the year on Thursday evening in an attempt to win back support from Democrats who worry if he can continue leading the country.
The Marist survey was conducted July 9 and 10 among 1,309 adults and has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.