President Trump has narrowed a lead by Democratic nominee Joe Biden in Pennsylvania, a key swing state that could help determine the presidential contest, according to a poll released Monday.
This week’s Reuters-Ipsos opinion poll found 49 percent of likely voters in Pennsylvania backed Biden, while 45 percent in the state supported the president. Biden’s 4 percentage point lead falls right on the edge of the poll’s margin of error.
Last week’s poll showed the former vice president leading Trump by 7 percentage points, with Biden getting 51 percent compared to the president’s 44 percent.
Similar to national polls, a higher percentage of respondents — at 49 percent — said they expected Biden would better handle the coronavirus pandemic, while 41 percent said Trump would manage it better.
A majority at 51 percent said the president would better handle the economy, while 42 percent said Biden would manage it better.
Fifteen percent of the likely Pennsylvania voters said they had already voted in the election.
The Pennsylvania Reuters-Ipsos poll surveyed 1,001 adults, including 653 likely voters, from Oct. 13 to 19. The margin of error amounted to 4 percentage points.
Biden stayed ahead of Trump among likely voters in Wisconsin, with 51 percent supporting, while the president earned 43 percent of the vote. The former vice president’s lead increased by 1 percentage point from last week.
Recent polls of swing states have shown Biden ahead of or tying with the president. Last week’s Hill-Harris poll found Biden with a 5 percentage point lead in Pennsylvania and tied with Trump in Florida. His lead reached 11 percentage points in Michigan.