Trump may lead his party in the polls, but he doesn't fare well against Democrats

If Donald Trump wins the Republican nomination, things might not be looking so bad for Democrats. A new Quinnipiac University poll out Wednesday reveals that while The Donald still leads his party's primaries in the battleground states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida, he doesn't fare nearly as well against Democrats in hypothetical match-ups. Against all three Democrats that Quinnipiac tested — Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Joe Biden, who has not announced a presidential run — Trump loses in a hypothetical general election face-off.
"Trump, despite his strong showing in mock Republican primaries, fares worst among the GOP candidates matched against the three Democratic aspirants — giving some credence to pundits who say the billionaire could be every Democrats' favorite GOP nominee," Quinnipiac assistant director Peter Brown said in a statement. Against Clinton, Trump loses 46 percent to 41 percent in Florida, 43 percent to 42 percent in Ohio, and 44 percent to 42 percent in Pennsylvania.
And those are Trump's closest margins against the Democrats. In a match-up with Biden, Trump loses 46-42 in Florida, 46-37 in Ohio, and 45-42 in Pennsylvania. Sanders beats out Trump by five percentage points in Florida and Pennsylvania and by three percentage points in Ohio.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The survey's margin of error in Florida and Ohio is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points. In Pennsylvania, it's plus or minus three percentage points.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official says
Speed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judges
Speed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policing
Speed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Speed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates
-
Abrego released from jail, faces Uganda deportation
Speed Read The wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego García is expected to be detained at an ICE check-in and deported to Uganda
-
Trump arms National Guard in DC, threatens other cities
speed read His next targets are Chicago, New York and Baltimore
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfully
Speed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'
-
Third judge rejects DOJ's Epstein records request
Speed Read Judge Richard Berman was the third and final federal judge to reject DOJ petitions to unseal Epstein-related grand jury material