But while some recent polls showed former President Donald Trump with wider leads than before the debate, a new Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll showed Biden making up ground in the most important places of all — swing states.
Trump, in the latest survey, had a 47% to 45% overall advantage over Biden in swing states. That’s the closest result between the two candidates since the tracking survey started last fall.
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Biden led Trump in both Michigan (48% to 43%) and Wisconsin (47% to 44%), two must-win states for the incumbent. The president trailed Trump but remained within the margin of error in Arizona (45% to 48%), Georgia (46% to 47%), Nevada (45% to 48%), and North Carolina (43% to 46%).
It wasn’t all good news for the president, however. Biden was behind by seven points in Pennsylvania, where he was born and spent significant time campaigning. Trump had a 51%-44% lead over Biden in the state, a major warning sign.
The Bloomberg News/Morning Consult survey also found that 39% of swing-state voters — a number well short of a majority — felt as though Biden should “definitely” or “probably” continue his candidacy. Biden registered higher support among liberals. For Trump, 50% of respondents said the former president should “definitely” or “probably” stay in the race.
Biden has faced several calls — from some sitting Democratic lawmakers and an array of donors — to step aside and allow the party to select a new standard-bearer ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month.
There have also been multiple reports in recent days of lawmakers looking to meet with Biden to discuss the viability of his campaign.
The White House, for its part, has so far pushed back against reports that Biden is considering an exit.
In a highly-anticipated ABC News interview on Friday, Biden told host George Stephanopoulos that he was “exhausted” and didn’t follow his instincts ahead of the debate but insisted that he would remain in the presidential race.