Trump's law and order pivot appears to have succeeded with 'a big catch,' poll suggests
President Trump's Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, maintains a lead in Wisconsin, plus Trump's three most likely pick-up opportunities — Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Nevada — a New York Times/Siena College poll shows. Biden was able to stay on top, the Times' Nate Cohn notes, despite the Trump campaign's renewed focus on law and order amid the sometimes-violent nationwide protests against police brutality that have taken place throughout the summer.
Cohn says that voters in the four swing states are now split on whether the protests or the coronavirus pandemic are more important factors in determining their vote, and that Biden's response to the demonstrations is lacking, which suggests Trump's attacks on his competitor are registering.
But Trump and Biden are still neck-and-neck when it comes to who voters trust more on law and order. Cohn writes that's probably because even if voters want more from Biden they think he's got the edge on race relations, protest handling, and unifying the country, while Trump is viewed as more likely to encourage violence.
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 New York Times/Siena College poll was conducted between Sept. 8-11 via telephone. In Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, and Wisconsin, 814, 445, 462, and 760 voters were surveyed, respectively. The margins of error were 3.9, 5.5, 5.3, and 4.7 percentage points, respectively. Read more at The New York Times.
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
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
4 ways to give back this holiday season
The Explainer If your budget is feeling squeezed, remember that money is not the only way you can be generous around the holidays
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
4 tips for hosting an ecofriendly Thanksgiving
The Week Recommends Coming together for the holidays typically produces a ton of waste, but with proper preparation, you can have an environmentally friendly gathering.
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judge blocks Louisiana 10 Commandments law
Speed Read U.S. District Judge John deGravelles ruled that a law ordering schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms was unconstitutional
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'
Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security law
Speed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitution
speed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidence
Speed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulations
Speed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriage
Speed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump and his lawyer Alina Habba have a rough day in defamation court
Speed Read Trump's audible grousing as E. Jean Carroll testified earned him a warning he could be thrown out of court, and Habba showed she 'doesn't know what the hell she's doing'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published