According to a Fox News poll released on Thursday, the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden has increased his lead over President Donald Trump in the state of Florida .
Forty-nine percent of respondents said that they would vote for Biden if the election was held today, while 40 percent said they would back Trump. In April’s poll, Biden had a three-point advantage over Trump.
The former vice president polled strongly among a number of key voting blocs, while Trump lost ground with voter groups that helped carry him to victory in 2016.
According to the survey, Biden has a 17-point advantage over Trump among Hispanics, an 18-point advantage among women and a 30-point advantage among Millennials.
As Fox News pointed out, “some groups that are key to a Trump reelection split down the middle.” The poll showed Biden with a two-point advantage among men. Furthermore, Trump’s edge among white voters has been reduced to eight points, while he is essentially tied with Biden among seniors.
As for independent voters, 40 percent of them said that they would vote for Biden if the election was held today, while 18 percent expressed support for Trump. Notably, 42 percent of independents said that they were undecided or voting for a third-party candidate.
The poll also found that Biden voters are motivated by fear, while Trump supporters are motivated by enthusiasm. Fifty-eight percent of the Democrat’s backers said the fear that Trump might win in November is their main motivation to vote, while 69 percent of Trump supporters said that enthusiasm for their candidate is what motivates them.
Trump’s overall approval rating has decreased since April. In the poll, 44 percent of Florida voters said that they approve of Trump’s performance in the White House and 53 percent said that they disapprove.
As Fox News noted, “The number backing Trump in the presidential race (40 percent) is less than his approval rating (44 percent). That does not translate, however, into those who disapprove of the president backing Biden, whose 49 percent support is below Trump’s 53 percent disapproval.”
“Defections among core supporters are part of the president’s problem: 9 percent of Republicans, 8 percent of those who approve of Trump, and 8 percent of 2016 Trump voters back Biden in the matchup.”
When it comes to immigration, race relations and handling the coronavirus pandemic Florida voters prefer Biden over Trump. However, 47 percent of respondents said that they trust the commander-in-chief over Biden on the issue of economy. Forty-three percent said that Biden would handle the economy better than Trump.
Similarly, a national CNBC poll released earlier on Thursday found that voters generally trust Biden over Trump on most issues.
