Joe Biden Leads Donald Trump In Florida, Republican Poll Shows
According to a new survey from the Republican polling firm Cygnal released on Thursday, former Vice President Joe Biden is ahead of President Donald Trump in the state of Florida.
Forty-seven percent of Florida voters said that they support the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee, while roughly 43 percent expressed support for Trump. The vast majority of respondents said that they will “definitely” vote for their candidate in November, which suggests that both camps are highly committed.
As The Hill noted, Florida is the nation’s largest purple state, carrying 29 electoral votes. Both Biden and Trump have aggressively sought to make inroads with Sunshine State voters. Former President Barack Obama won Florida twice, but Trump pulled an upset in 2016, besting then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
The poll also investigated public opinion on the COVID-19 pandemic, finding that 43 percent of voters blame the Chinese government for the spread of the virus. More than 80 percent of respondents said that China covered up vital details pertaining to COVID-19 and more than 50 percent believe China should pay reparations to the United States.
Furthermore, although Floridians appear to be evenly split when it comes to Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, a majority of them said that they approve of the administration’s aggressive posture toward China. As Chris Kratzer, Cygnal’s vice president of research and analysis, explained, this could have major political implications.
“Voters don’t see eye-to-eye on much today, but this is something everyone agrees on. A large majority of both Republicans and Democrats don’t trust the Chinese government to publicly release factual information on how many of its citizens were infected with and died from COVID- 19, and think they covered up relevant information.”
“While the race for President is tight, Florida voters trust Trump more to protect American interests against China. And with such intense anger directed toward the Chinese government right now, that could help him in November,” he added.
The latest polling suggests that Biden has increased his lead over Trump, both nationwide and in swing states.
A CNN poll released earlier this week put the Democrat 14 points ahead of the commander-in-chief nationwide. According to the survey, Trump’s approval rating is 36 percent, at its lowest point since January 2019.
Biden’s latest polling surge has apparently left some Republicans deeply concerned about the GOP’s electoral prospects. Republicans in the United States Congress reportedly fear that Trump has bungled the response to the coronavirus pandemic and believe that he has also mishandled the response to the George Floyd protests.
