Trump trailing in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin: poll

A new poll shows President Trump trailing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in three key swing states: Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Baldwin Wallace University, in a partnership with Oakland University and Ohio Northern University, released polling data on Friday that shows Biden leading Trump by 7 points in Michigan, 50 to 43 percent, by 5 points in Pennsylvania, 50 to 45 percent, and by nearly 7 points in Wisconsin, 49 to 43 percent.

Trump, meanwhile, holds a slight lead in Ohio, which was also surveyed, 47 to 45 percent, though it falls within the margin of error.

Trump won all four states in 2016.

The new poll also showed that a majority of those surveyed said they had watched the first presidential debate and felt Biden had performed better, with 51 percent saying the former vice president was the better debate and 32 percent saying Trump was the winner.  Most voters said that watching the debate, which was marred by frequent interruptions and personal attacks, had made “no difference” in changing their likelihood of voting for Trump, however.

Pollsters found that voters would prefer to wait until all votes are counted until a victor is announced, with the majority saying they would have no trust at all in the accuracy of the vote if  Trump claimed the win for himself before all votes were counted. Trump has continued to refuse committing to a peaceful transition of power should he lose the election next month.

The survey was released days before a national poll by The Washington Post and ABC News that shows Biden maintaining a 12-point lead over Trump, with 53 percent of voters choosing the former vice president and 41 percent supporting the president.

The Great Lakes poll of 4,166 respondents was conducted Sept. 30 to Oct. 8. All four state polls had margins of error of approximately 3 percentage points. 

Recent polling data has many GOP leaders concerned for their Senate majority as they fear Trump’s overall performance in the polls will adversely affect state elections, where Democratic candidates have established healthy leads in traditionally Republican states like Kansas and South Carolina. Republicans are currently seeking to protect 23 Senate seats.