A new poll released Wednesday by Public Policy Polling shows former Vice President Joe Biden with a one point lead over President Donald Trump in Texas.
The poll shows Biden’s support among Texas voters at 47 percent against Trump’s 46 percent, with a margin of error of 3.1 points. The poll found that Trump’s support matches his job approval rating, with 46 percent of Texans approving and 49 percent in disapproval.
A University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll released the week before showed Trump with a five point lead over Biden.
Trump won Texas by less than 10 points in 2016, comparatively less then other GOP presidential candidates (Mitt Romney won the state by 16 points in 2012). Democratic Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke came within three points of winning in the 2018 midterms. This poll is just another indicator that the state is gradually shifting blue.
Trump’s numbers do not look better outside of Texas. Polls show Trump behind in several key swing states, in some cases by five points or more. Trump reportedly lashed out at his campaign manager after being presented with internal polling data that show him losing to the former vice president.
This comes as Trump’s approval rating continues to slide nationally due to his mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Trump enjoyed a historically small bump from the crisis in late March, but as his missteps become more apparent the bump has disappeared. Just last week Trump publicly mused that injecting disinfectants could cure the virus, prompting his aides to suggest that his daily briefings were doing more harm than good to his reelection prospects.
One poll showing a one point lead is by no means a guarantee that Biden will carry the Lone Star State in November. But it does indicate that Trump should not take the former Republican stronghold for granted. Texas has shifted from solid-red to purple, and the battle for the nation’s largest swing state is on.
Photo: Daniel Carde/Getty Images
William serves as the Washington Correspondent for the Texas Signal, where he primarily writes about Congress and other federal issues that affect Texas. A graduate of Colorado College, William has worked on Democratic campaigns in Texas, Colorado, and North Carolina. He is an internet meme expert.
