Biden’s lead in polls narrows after last night of RNC
Aug 29, 2020, 8:03 PM
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE - AUGUST 20: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden delivers his acceptance speech on the fourth night of the Democratic National Convention from the Chase Center on August 20, 2020 in Wilmington, Delaware. The convention, which was once expected to draw 50,000 people to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is now taking place virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has taken a slight dip in the polls, narrowing his lead over President Donald Trump, according to a new poll from Morning Consult. This comes just days after the Republican National Convention concluded Thursday.
Before the four-day convention — featuring high-profile GOP members and Trump officially accepting the party’s nomination — Biden held a double-digit lead over the president: 52% to 42%. However, this dropped to 50% v. 44% by the weekend.
Seven percent of voters remain undecided.
Trump improved his standing among suburban and white voters, cutting into Biden’s lead he held just the week before. Pre-convention, the former vice president led by 14 points (54% to 40%) among suburbanites — which fell to an eight-point lead by Saturday.
However, the president saw dips in polling with voters of color. Updated polls show Trump trailing in terms of both Hispanic and Black voters — with Biden leading by 28 points and 74 points respectively.
President Trump fared well in favorability, with ratings remaining steady from pre-convention. On the other hand, Biden saw a slight decrease in favorability ratings — falling from 51% to 49%, paired with a 1% increase in unfavorability.
The slight rise in polls is what President Trump was looking for during the virtual party convention — painting Biden as a radical socialist. Despite the blow, Biden stands in a stronger position than Hillary Clinton in 2016.
The poll results come after The New York Times reported the RNC pulled in fewer viewers than the Democratic National Convention the week before. An average of 19.4 million people tuned into the Republican gathering each night to watch live on TV, compared to 21.6 million for the DNC.
Similarly, President Trump’s acceptance speech attracted 23.8 million live viewers, whereas Biden pulled in 24.6 million.
However, these numbers do not take into account the number of viewers watching online or from streaming devices.
