Biden leads Trump by 10 points in new national poll

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is leading President Trump by 10 points nationally, according to a new poll. 

More than half of likely voters, 52 percent, said they would cast their ballots for Biden, and 42 percent said they would support Trump, according to a CBS News-YouGov poll released Sunday. The poll found 3 percent said they are “not sure” who they would vote for, and 3 percent said they would vote for someone else. 

Much of Biden’s support comes from likely voters who are opposed to Trump. Forty-nine percent of likely Biden supporters said the main reason for their vote in November is “mainly to oppose” Trump, while 32 percent said it is “mainly because” they like the former vice president. 

Trump’s support, however, is overwhelmingly driven by voters’ feelings toward the president, with 73 percent of his supporters saying their vote is “mainly because” they like Trump and just 18 percent saying it is “mainly to oppose” Biden. 

The poll found voters split on who they feel would do a better job handling the economy, with 44 percent saying Biden and 45 percent selecting Trump. 

Half of likely voters also said they think Biden would do a better job handling the coronavirus outbreak, compared with 38 percent who said the same of Trump. Asked who they would trust to make sure a safe coronavirus vaccine is available in the U.S., 47 percent said Biden and 34 percent said Trump. 

Both candidates have sought to highlight issues around safety in recent weeks, making it a central campaign issue in the party nominating conventions and subsequent political ads. More voters, 48 percent, said in the new poll that Biden would make them feel safer, while 43 percent said the same about Trump. 

Amid nationwide protests following recent police shootings of Black Americans, 47 percent of voters said they think Trump is trying to “encourage the fighting,” and just 39 percent said the president is trying to “calm the situation.” 

Forty-nine percent of voters said they think Biden is trying to “calm the situation,” and just 30 percent said they think the Democrat is trying to “encourage fighting.” 

The poll surveyed 2,493 registered voters nationwide. It was conducted between Sept. 2 and Sept. 4 and has a margin of error of 2.4 percentage points.