Poll: Biden holds on to 8-point lead in Michigan

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden held on to his 8-point lead in Michigan in a new poll released six days before Election Day.

The New York Times/Sienna College poll determined that 49 percent of likely voters supported Biden and 41 percent backed President Trump. 

Biden retained his 8-point lead from the same poll earlier this month, when he earned 48 percent of the vote, while Trump received 40 percent. 

The two surveys align with the RealClearPolitics average of polls conducted between Oct. 21 and 27 in the state, which shows the former vice president at an 8.6-percentage point lead. 

Biden in the new survey received a majority of support from women, at 52 percent, those aged 18 to 29, at 65 percent, those aged 65 and older, at 59 percent, African Americans, at 84 percent, and white voters with college degrees, at 60 percent. 

The president, on the other hand, had strong advantages among those aged 45 to 64, at 54 percent, and white voters without college degrees, at 54 percent. 

The candidates are neck-and-neck among men, with 46 percent backing Biden and 44 percent backing Trump, and white voters, with 46 percent going with Biden and 47 percent siding with Trump.

But the former vice president holds a lead among independents, with 44 percent backing him and 37 percent supporting Trump.

A slight majority of the likely voters, at 52 percent, at least somewhat disapprove of how Trump has handled the presidency, while 44 percent at least somewhat approve of his job performance. 

The New York Times/Siena College poll surveyed 856 likely voters in Michigan between Oct. 23 and 26. The margin of error amounted to 3.8 percentage points. 

Trump won Michigan in 2016 by 0.3 percentage points, and many say his wins in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania got him into the White House. But six days ahead of the 2020 election, Biden appears to be holding at least a slight lead in all three of these states.