Biden ahead of Trump in Wisconsin, Arizona: surveys

Democratic nominee Joe Biden is ahead of President Trump in Wisconsin and Arizona, both states won by the president in 2016, according to polls released Sunday.

The two CBS News-YouGov polls determined that the former vice president received 51 percent of the vote in Wisconsin and 50 percent of the vote in Arizona, compared to Trump’s 46 percent and 47 percent, respectively. 

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be central for voters, particularly among those voting for the former vice president.

A majority of likely voters in Wisconsin — 53 percent — said they trust Biden over Trump to handle the pandemic, compared to 34 percent who trust the president instead. In Arizona, half of the voters trust the former vice president to better handle the pandemic, while 39 percent said Trump would better manage it. 

Overall, Biden appears to be gaining support among senior, male and white, non-college voters who sided with Trump in 2016. 

The Arizona poll shows that Biden is cutting into the president’s lead among those 65 and older in the state, with 46 percent backing Biden and 52 percent supporting Trump. In 2016, exit polls determined that 55 percent of those aged 65 and older sided with Trump, while 42 percent went with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The CBS News-YouGov polls were conducted between Oct. 13 and 16. They surveyed 1,087 registered voters in Arizona and 1,124 in Wisconsin. The margin of error for likely voters amounted to 4.1 percentage points in Arizona and 3.5 percentage points in Wisconsin.