Neither Joe Biden nor President Trump earns the support from 50% or more of Florida’s voters, according to a new survey from the AARP.
The poll, conducted in conjunction with consulting firm Benenson Strategy Group, found the former vice president leading Trump by 2 points, with 48% of the vote. Six percent of Floridians remain undecided between Trump and Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee and a former Delaware senator for 36 years.
“Biden is currently leading by 2 points, buoyed by an 8-point lead among voters under 50 as well as a narrow 1-point advantage among voters 65+,” the poll’s authors wrote. “Independents are backing Biden by double digits, while Democrats and Republicans have largely consolidated behind their respective parties’ nominee.”
The survey carries a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, making the two candidates essentially tied.
Trump can find a potential upside to the poll despite trailing behind the 49.02% support he earned in Florida in the 2016 election. Half of all voters in the state approve of Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, far higher than marks he receives in national surveys.
A RealClearPolitics average of recent polls from the state finds Biden leading by 1.2 points, with 48.2% support. An NBC/Marist survey released on Sept. 7 found the two candidates tied, with 48% support each.
Numerous surveys have found that Trump’s support in Florida is being buoyed by increased Latino support even though he’s currently dramatically underperforming with voters over the age of 65. A top adviser to Trump’s campaign predicted this month that the president would secure “north of 40%” of Hispanic voters nationally on Election Day.
