Biden up 10 points in Pennsylvania, neck and neck with Trump in Florida: poll

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has opened up a substantial lead over President Trump in Pennsylvania, while the two are running neck and neck in Florida, according to new CNN-SSRS polls released Wednesday. 

Fifty-three percent of likely Pennsylvania voters surveyed say they intend to back the former vice president, while 43 percent say they will vote for Trump. In Florida, Biden has a narrower 50-46 percent lead among likely voters, a difference that falls within the poll’s margin of error.

Neither poll surveyed Biden’s favorability rating, but Trump’s approval rating is underwater in both crucial swing states. In Pennsylvania, 44 percent of likely voters approve of the job Trump is doing while 54 percent disapprove. In Florida, 45 percent of voters approve of Trump’s performance as president and 52 percent disapprove.

Trump is more trusted among voters to handle the economy in both Pennsylvania — 50 percent to 48 percent — and Florida — 51-46 percent — but voters in both states think Biden will do a better job handling the coronavirus pandemic, addressing racial inequality, sending nominations to the Supreme Court, uniting the country and having “a clear plan for solving the country’s problems.”

The polls were conducted about two weeks before Election Day, though thousands of voters in each state have already cast their ballots. Among those who have already voted, Biden has an 88-10 percent advantage in Pennsylvania and a 71-27 percent lead in Florida. Among those who have yet to cast their ballots, Trump has a 54-42 percent edge in Pennsylvania and a 56-40 percent lead in Florida. 

Biden holds wide advantages among traditionally Democratic constituencies while cutting Trump’s margin among more GOP-leaning voting blocs. In Pennsylvania, he is ahead by 20 points among women and leads in all age groups, including by a 59-37 percent margin among seniors. He trails only by 3 points among male voters and 4 points among white voters.

The story is similar in Florida, where Biden leads by 18 points among women and in all age groups, except a slight edge for Trump among voters between 35 and 49 years old, while Trump leads by 9 points among men. The president holds a more substantial 12-point edge among white voters in the Sunshine State.

The polls reflect most other recent surveys that show Biden with substantial leads in Pennsylvania and a tight race in Florida. A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday showed Biden with a 51-43 percent lead in the Keystone State.

Both states are considered crucial for Trump’s path to victory, while Florida is viewed as less essential for Biden. The president won Pennsylvania by under 1 point and Florida by just over 1 point in 2016.  

The CNN/SSRS polls surveyed 843 likely voters in Pennsylvania and 847 likely voters in Florida from Oct. 15-20 and have margins of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points each.