President Trump trails former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in a 2020 mockup, but the incumbent Republican has taken the lead against other top-tier Democrats seeking the presidency, according to a new Emerson poll.
Trump now leads South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) and Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) by 51 to 49 percent after trailing them in last month’s Emerson poll.
Sanders leads Trump by a 51 to 49 percent margin, and Biden leads the president 53 to 47 percent.
{mosads}“It looks like Trump was a winner from the Democratic debate, as his head-to-heads tightened by about 5 points against all the leading Democratic candidates,” said Spencer Kimball, director of Emerson Polling.
The poll was conducted from July 6 to July 8 and surveyed 1,1000 registered voters. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.
Trump’s approval ticked up 1 point from June’s poll, to 44 percent approval, while his disapproval stayed at 48 percent.
The president also maintains a strong lead over his only primary challenger for now, former Gov. Bill Weld, with 91 percent of support for Trump in the Republican primary.
Trump may face more challengers. Newly independent Michigan Rep. Justin Amash said he wouldn’t rule out a presidential run as an independent, which could cut into conservative votes.
The Emerson poll also suggested some shake up within the Democrats standing after the first round of debates in Miami.