Fox News poll: Biden leads Trump in 3 key swing states after RNC, DNC


A "wave of polling" from after the Democratic and Republican conventions crashed down on political obsessives Wednesday, Steve Kornacki said on MSNBC, and it shows that the race between President Trump and Vice President Joe Biden hasn't really changed much. The RealClearPolitics polling average had Biden ahead by 7.2 percentage points Wednesday night, versus 7.4 points a month ago. But "Trump showed in 2016 he could lose the popular vote, win the Electoral College," Kornacki said, and some significant swing state polls also came out Wednesday.
A Monmouth University poll showed Biden with a 3-point edge in Pennsylvania, he noted, and a Fox News poll showed Trump losing by significant margins in Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Arizona. Trump won all four of those states in 2016.
In Arizona, which Trump won by half a percentage point, Biden leads by 9 points in the Fox News poll, 49 percent to 40 percent. Biden has an 8-point edge over Trump in Wisconsin, a state he won by about 23,000 votes. And in North Carolina, which gave Trump a 4-point win in 2016, Biden is now ahead by 4 points, 50 percent to 46 percent.
Subscribe to 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 polls "include results among likely voters for the first time this cycle," as well as third-party candidates when applicable, Fox News said, and running mates were included in the questions. "These differences mean no apples-to-apples comparison to past survey results."
"Biden's advantage comes from strong support among women and suburban voters," Fox News adds. "Moreover, suburban women in all three states trust Biden over Trump to handle coronavirus and policing/criminal justice." Trump's strength is among white voters without college degrees and rural voters. The Washington Post's David Weigel dug out one number that suggests Trump's "law and order" message isn't selling in the suburbs.
The Fox News poll was conducted by phone Aug. 29 to Sept. 1 under the direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Co. (R), reaching 772 likely voters in Arizona, 722 in North Carolina, and 801 in Wisconsin. The margin of error is ±3.5 percentage points.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
May 31 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include how much to pay for a pardon, medical advice from a brain worm, and a simple solution to the national debt.
-
5 costly cartoons about the national debt
Cartoons Political cartoonists take on the USA's financial hole, rare bipartisan agreement, and Donald Trump and Mike Johnson.
-
Green goddess salad recipe
The Week Recommends Avocado can be the creamy star of the show in this fresh, sharp salad
-
White House tackles fake citations in MAHA report
speed read A federal government public health report spearheaded by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was rife with false citations
-
Judge blocks push to bar Harvard foreign students
speed read Judge Allison Burroughs sided with Harvard against the Trump administration's attempt to block the admittance of international students
-
Trump's trade war whipsawed by court rulings
Speed Read A series of court rulings over Trump's tariffs renders the future of US trade policy uncertain
-
Elon Musk departs Trump administration
speed read The former DOGE head says he is ending his government work to spend more time on his companies
-
Trump taps ex-personal lawyer for appeals court
speed read The president has nominated Emil Bove, his former criminal defense lawyer, to be a federal judge
-
US trade court nullifies Trump's biggest tariffs
speed read The US Court of International Trade says Trump exceeded his authority in imposing global tariffs
-
Trump pauses all new foreign student visas
speed read The State Department has stopped scheduling interviews with those seeking student visas in preparation for scrutiny of applicants' social media
-
Trump pardons Virginia sheriff convicted of bribery
speed read Former sheriff Scott Jenkins was sentenced to 10 years in prison on federal bribery and fraud charges