President Trump is caught on his back foot in Texas, country that’s traditionally been in his favor.
Presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden leads Trump in the traditionally conservative-leaning state, 45% to 44%, according to a Quinnipiac University poll put out Wednesday. Biden performs particularly well among independents, the demographic breaking for him, 51% to 32%.
“With crises swirling through American society and a country deeply divided, there’s no other way to slice it. It’s a tossup in Texas,” Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said.
The same group had the pair split by a single percentage point in June, but then Trump edged out Biden, 44% to 43%.
The competitiveness of the race for Texas’s 38 electoral votes is also reflected in public opinion research averages.
RealClearPolitics estimates Trump and Biden are separated by about 0.2 of a point, with the president in front. FiveThirtyEight is slightly more generous, giving Trump a 0.8 point advantage.
Wednesday’s Quinnipiac University poll suggests while Texans are growing increasingly angry with local officials over the state’s COVID-19 response, including Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, they aren’t blaming Trump for their predicament at the same rate. Biden, however, is more trusted by voters to handle the virus than Trump, 48% to 45%. Trump is ahead on the economy while they are tied regarding the issues of healthcare and crisis management.
Quinnipiac University surveyed 880 self-identified Texas registered voters from July 16-20 via landlines and cellphones for the study. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 points.
