Republicans are gaining more new voters than Democrats in states Biden really needs to win


Joe Biden may be winning the polling battle, but President Trump is winning the voter registration war.
National and swing state polls continue to give the Democratic nominee a slight advantage in the 2020 race, with leads in the critical states of Pennsylvania, Arizona, Florida, and North Carolina. But new voter registration in those states isn't looking so good for Biden, as more and more voters continue to register as Republicans than as Democrats, NBC News reports.
Trump won those four states in 2016, and they're also states where voters can register with a party, revealing how the parties are appealing to new voters. For example, while polls have pointed to Biden locking up Pennsylvania once again this year, and Democrats have overall registered more voters than Republicans in the state since 2016, recent registrations point the other direction. Pennsylvania gained 135,619 Republican voters between its June primary and the last week of September, while Democrats only gained 57,985.
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.
In North Carolina, a state that typically leans Republican but has narrowly polled for Biden this year, Republicans added 83,785 voters between their presidential primary and the end of September, while Democrats added 38,137. Republicans also registered 31,139 more voters in Arizona than Democrats, and more than 100,000 more in Florida.
In all of these states, though, tens of thousands of voters did register without choosing a party. Given that Florida went to Trump by just 112,911 votes in 2016, those voters could easily make all the difference.
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
Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
-
The state of Britain's Armed Forces
The Explainer Geopolitical unrest and the unreliability of the Trump administration have led to a frantic re-evaluation of the UK's military capabilities
By The Week UK
-
Anti-anxiety drug has a not-too-surprising effect on fish
Under the radar The fish act bolder and riskier
By Devika Rao, The Week US
-
Sudoku hard: April 21, 2025
The Week's daily hard sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
China accuses NSA of Winter Games cyberattacks
speed read China alleges that the U.S. National Security Agency launched cyberattacks during the Asian Winter Games in February
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Russian strike kills dozens in Ukraine
Speed Read The Sumy ballistic missile strike was Russia's deadliest attack on civilians this year
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
South Korea court removes impeached president
Speed Read The Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol after his declaration of martial law in December
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Myanmar quake deaths rise as survivor search intensifies
speed read The magnitude-7.7 earthquake in central Myanmar has killed a documented 2,000 people so far, and left scores more trapped beneath rubble
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson
-
Israel detains director after West Bank settler clash
speed read The director of Oscar-winning documentary 'No Other Land' was arrested and beaten
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Turkey arrests Istanbul mayor, a top Erdogan rival
Speed Read Protests erupted in Turkey after authorities detained Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu
By Peter Weber, The Week US