New poll shows Biden up 9 points in Pennsylvania

Democratic nominee Joe Biden leads President Trump by 9 percentage points in the state of Pennsylvania, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll released on Monday. 

Biden receives 49 percent support among likely voters in Pennsylvania while Trump receives 40 percent, roughly five weeks before the November presidential election. 

The survey, conducted between Friday and Sunday of last week, comes just after Trump nominated federal appeals court judge Amy Coney Barrett to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. After announcing Barrett as his choice on Saturday evening, Trump traveled to Middletown, Pa., to hold a campaign rally where he touted his decision. 

According to the poll, 51 percent of Pennsylvania likely voters trust Biden more to choose the next Supreme Court justice, while 44 percent trust Trump.

Biden is also the preferred candidate when it comes to maintaining law and order, handling the coronavirus pandemic, and handling issues of national security. Trump has a 2-point edge over Biden when it comes to handling the economy, which is within the poll’s 4.3-point margin of error.

Trump has traveled numerous times to Pennsylvania to shore up his support in the swing state that he won narrowly in 2016. Trump has argued that Biden’s environmental and economic agenda would hurt jobs in the state, while describing himself as the candidate who can shepherd the country through economic recovery. 

The RealClearPolitics average of polls shows Biden with a 5.3 percentage point lead in the Keystone State. The latest poll comes on the eve of the first presidential debate in Cleveland.