Biden’s lead widens to 16 points nationally: survey

A CNN poll released Tuesday found Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden leading President Trump by 16 points, his widest lead of the election cycle.

Biden leads Trump 57 to 41 percent in the survey, which was conducted after the first presidential debate and partially after the president’s coronavirus diagnosis.

The survey also found likely voters supporting Biden by wide margins on several issues. Voters prefer the former vice president on Supreme Court nominations, 57 to 41 percent. Biden also leads on health care, 59 to 39 percent, and on the coronavirus pandemic, 59 to 38 percent.

On racial inequality, Biden’s lead is 62 to 36 percent, and he leads on crime and public safety at 55 to 43 percent. The two are statistically tied on the economy, with 50 percent preferring Biden versus 48 percent preferring Trump.

The survey also finds Biden leading on whom respondents consider honest and trustworthy, 58 to 33 percent. He also leads on the question of which candidate “cares about people like you,” 58 to 38 percent, and on who has a clear plan to solve the country’s problems, 55 to 39 percent.

While most surveys show Biden leading Trump among women, the CNN poll shows him beating Trump among women by a 2 to 1 margin, at 66 to 32 percent. This is an increase from a September poll that put his lead at 20 percentage points.

The former vice president’s lead among people of color has also widened, from 28 points in September to 42 points in October.

Fifty-seven percent of respondents who watched last week’s debate said Biden did the better job, compared to 26 percent who chose Trump and 14 percent who said neither.

The poll was conducted Oct. 1-4 among 1,205 adults, including 1,001 likely voters. It has a 3.3-point margin of error overall and a 3.6-point margin of error for likely voters.