Trump’s approval ratings in Pennsylvania up from 2016, but president continues to trail Biden in key

Trump’s approval ratings in Pennsylvania up from 2016, but president continues to trail Biden in key battleground state

By Todd DeFeo The Center Square

If President Donald Trump is going to rally from behind in the polls to win on Election Day, as he did in 2016, it appears that he still has some work to do in Pennsylvania.

Former Vice President Joe Biden holds a 7-point lead over the president in the Keystone State, a new Muhlenberg College/Morning Call poll of likely voters found.

More than half (51 percent) of likely voters said they planned to cast a ballot for Biden, while 44 percent said they planned to vote for Trump. Of the remaining voters, 4 percent said they were unsure, while 2 percent planned to vote for another candidate.

Pennsylvania is a crucial battleground state in this year’s election, and, as Reuters pointed out, delays in counting votes in the state could lead to a protracted fight over the results of the election. In 2016, Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania by less than 1 percent en route to election as the 45th president.

“There are so few undecided voters out there compared to 2016, and while Trump’s approval ratings are slightly better than they were four years ago, his opponent is not viewed nearly as unfavorably,” The Morning Call quoted Chris Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion, as saying.

The poll found 43 percent of respondents approved of Trump’s job as president, while 51 percent disapprove. Similar numbers (44 percent) say he deserves reelection, which is up from 42 percent in February, while 51 percent say he does not deserve another four years in The White House, down from 54 percent in February.

When it comes to Trump’s opponent, Keystone State voters are split. While 42 percent say they have a favorable view of Biden, an equal number have an unfavorable view of the longtime U.S. senator from neighboring Delaware.

When it comes to enthusiasm, 79 percent of Trump voters said they are very enthusiastic, while 18 percent said they were somewhat enthusiastic. Of Biden voters, 51 percent said they are very enthusiastic, while 39 percent said they were somewhat enthusiastic.

On the issues, the poll found Pennsylvanians identified the economy (27 percent), the CO- VID-19 pandemic (20 percent) and health care (18 percent) as the top issues, outpacing law and order (12 percent), racial justice (8 percent) and national security (5 percent).

Interestingly, most voters (62 percent) plan to vote in person, while 35 percent say they plan to vote by mail. When it comes to threats to a safe election this year, the poll found voters identified voter fraud (40 percent) and voter suppression (34 percent) as the top threats.

“Pennsylvanians have more secure, accessible and convenient voting options than ever before,” Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said in a news release. “We urge every eligible voter to take advantage of one of these options to make their voice heard.”

The poll, which has a margin of error of 5.5 percent, is based on a telephone survey of 416 likely voters in Pennsylvania; 47 percent were registered Democrats, while 41 percent were registered Republicans. Of those polled, 41 percent voted for Clinton in 2016, while 40 percent cast a ballot for Trump; 14 percent did not vote in the last presidential election.