Former President Donald Trump’s lead over Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in six of the seven battleground states, where he emerged victorious four years ago, is a significant setback for Biden. To secure victory, Biden must now focus on rebuilding his coalition of female, Black, and Hispanic voters. The latest opinion poll conducted by the Wall Street Journal reveals that Biden is trailing Trump in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Nevada, with the exception of Wisconsin, where he is tied to Trump in a one-on-one matchup and holds a slight lead when third-party and independent candidates are included.
The survey results show that the economy is a central issue for voters in each state, and there are deep doubts about Biden’s capabilities and job performance. The economy is growing, and unemployment is at a near-historic low, but voters are dissatisfied with inflation and the rising interest rates, which have eroded their purchasing power. The Israel-Hamas war is also hurting Biden with Arab American voters who are angry at the administration’s support of Israel against Hamas.
Despite his popularity with women and voters under the age of 30, Biden is facing challenges. He is struggling to gain support from white voters and those who have not been college graduates, a hurdle that he needs to overcome to secure victory.
The new polls are not just numbers but reinforce the growing concerns among Democrat strategists. The party’s core electoral base is shifting away from them, a trend that the polls are suggesting. Moreover, many of the voters who backed Biden in the primary are showing signs of not voting for him in November if he is the Democratic nominee.
Biden’s campaign has struggled to regain momentum since the special counsel investigation into Russian election meddling was dropped on March 24. Still, there may be more time for the former vice president to reverse the trend. The Wall Street Journal polls were taken between October 30 and November 7. The margins of error are plus or minus three percentage points in Arizona and Georgia, four in Michigan, North Carolina, and Nevada, and five in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
