Poll: Trump, Biden in dead heat in 2020 matchup

President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are in a dead heat in a hypothetical 2020 general election matchup, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News survey. 

The poll, which was released early Sunday, found that 49 percent of registered voters prefer Biden, while 47 percent back Trump. Biden’s 2-point lead, which is well within the survey’s margin of error of 3.5 percentage points, represents a significant shift from February, when he held a 7-point advantage over the president.

Biden holds 50 percent support to Trump’s 44 percent support among all U.S. adults, according to the survey. 

Biden has emerged as the favorite to win the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination after a series of decisive primary victories in states such as Texas, Florida and Michigan. Fifty-five percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said they favor Biden, while 39 percent said they favor progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

A majority of voters in the new poll also said they trust the former vice president more than Trump to handle health care issues. 

However, 52 percent of voters said they trust Trump more than Biden to handle the economy. Forty-two percent said they trust Biden more than Trump to handle economic matters. 

Biden and Trump received roughly equal support when voters were asked which candidate they trust more to handle the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more than 100,000 people in the U.S. and accounted for more than 2,000 deaths. 

Many Democrats, including Biden, have slammed Trump’s handling of the crisis, arguing that he was too slow to activate a sufficient response and that he hasn’t adequately supported states experiencing equipment shortages. 

Despite the economic fallout from the virus’s spread, Trump’s approval rating for his handling of the economy is at 57 percent, the highest it’s been during his time in the White House. Thirty-eight percent said they disapproved of his handling of the economy. 

In addition, Trump is enjoying high enthusiasm among his supporters compared with Biden’s support. Fifty-five percent of the president’s supporters say they are very enthusiastic to endorse him, while 28 percent say the same for Biden. 

The Washington Post-ABC News survey was conducted between March 22 and March 25 among a population of 1,003 adults and 845 registered voters.