With Election Day right around the corner and millions of ballots already cast, President Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden will rely on a handful of swing-state voters to determine the outcome.
New CBS News Battleground Tracker polls show Biden leading Trump slightly in the critical states of Florida and North Carolina, while the two candidates are neck-and-neck in Georgia.
In Florida, Biden leads Trump 50% to 48%. Florida is a critical must-win for the candidates, and both have made several campaign stops in the state.
Trump, who moved his permanent residence to Palm Beach last year, has been campaigning on hopes to attract Latino voters, a key demographic of the state. The president’s strategy has revolved around painting Biden as a “socialist,” rhetoric that’s been effective in swaying some Cuban American voters who immigrated away from authoritarian rule.
But, a recent report from the Miami Herald shows Biden gaining traction among Jewish voters in Florida, who have shown high voter turnout levels. Largely an older population, Jewish communities in South Florida have reportedly come out to vote early and by mail in large numbers. Biden campaign officials say they’re hopeful the Democrat may outperform 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton in winning over the voting bloc.
The coronavirus pandemic has been the issue at the forefront for Florida voters, with 56% of Biden supporters expressing far more concern over contracting the virus than Trump’s 13%.
Forty-nine percent of voters also say Biden would be better equipped to handle the pandemic over 41% who say Trump is better.
Along with the pandemic, Biden supporters also cited personal character as a strong motivator for their vote, while Trump backers said immigration and the economy are their top issues.
Trump won Florida’s 29 electoral votes in 2016, beating Clinton by more than 112,000 votes, or 1.2%.
The new poll also shows Biden leads by 51% in North Carolina over Trump’s 47%. In 2016, Trump won the state’s 15 electoral votes, beating Clinton by 173,000 votes, or 3.6%.
North Carolina is also critical for Republicans in the Senate, with Sen. Thom Tillis’s race viewed as one of the most closely watched and vulnerable against Democrat Cal Cunningham.
In Georgia, Trump and Biden are both tied at 49%. Though once a reliable red state, Georgia has become more competitive in recent years, with CNBC reporting that the Atlanta suburbs could be to credit the state’s growing unpredictability.
Election Day is nine days away.
The CBS News surveys were conducted by YouGov between Oct. 20-23. They were based on responses from 1,243 registered voters in Florida, 1,102 in Georgia, and 1,037 in North Carolina. Margins of error for likely voters are plus or minus 3.6 points in Florida, 3.4 points in Georgia, and 4.1 points in North Carolina.
