Poll: Biden leads grow in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s leads in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have grown since mid-September, according to polls released on Monday.

Biden holds a 5 percentage point lead in Pennsylvania and a 6 percentage point lead in Wisconsin over President Trump less than a month before the election, according to Reuters-Ipsos polls conducted in both states. 

The former vice president earned 50 percent of the support in both Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, while Trump received 45 percent and 44 percent, respectively. Biden’s leads in both states remain within the polls’ 5 percentage point margins of error.

In mid-September, 49 percent of Pennsylvania respondents sided with Biden, while 46 percent went with Trump. In Wisconsin, 48 percent of respondents said they would vote for the former vice president, compared with 43 percent who said they would vote for the president. Biden’s mid-September leads also fell within the polls’ 5 percentage point margins of error.

In both states, respondents consider Biden to be the better candidate to handle the coronavirus pandemic, with a 10 percentage point lead in Pennsylvania and a 9 percentage point lead in Wisconsin. 

But Trump continues to have the advantage over Biden when it comes to the economy. The president has a 5 percentage point lead in Pennsylvania and a 7 percentage point lead in Wisconsin. 

The Reuters-Ipsos polls surveyed 1,000 adults each between Sept. 29 and Oct. 5. 

The polls were released as Trump returned to the White House Monday on after spending the weekend at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center following a positive COVID-19 test last week.

The opening day of the poll was the same day as the first presidential debate.