Joe Biden Leads Donald Trump By 12 Points In New Washington Post Poll

Presumptive Democratic Party nominee for president Joe Biden, and his running mate Kamala Harris, lead Donald Trump by 12 points in a new poll Washington Post/ABC News poll, The Washington Post reported.

The new poll was conducted between August 12-15 — the day of and the days immediately after Biden announced Harris as his running mate — and included 868 registered voters.

Among all poll respondents, the Biden/Harris ticket beat the Trump/Pence ticket by 12 points, 53 percent to 41 percent. Of the poll respondents who said they are absolutely certain they’re going to cast a ballot in November, and who voted in 2016, Biden leads by 11 points, 54 percent to 43 percent.

One topic that has been dominating both the news cycle and the election, as well as related polling, has been the coronavirus pandemic. The partisan divide in how likely voters look at COVID-19 was evident by which candidate they supported.

For example, 49 percent of respondents said that the pandemic is “not at all under control.” However, among those who support Biden, that figure went up to 83 percent, while only 11 percent of those who support Donald Trump said the same.

A smaller number — 36 percent — said it’s “somewhat under control.” Among those voters, 33 percent sided with Biden, while 62 percent sided with Trump. Of those who said it’s “completely” or “mostly” under control — 14 percent — eight percent were Biden supporters, and 90 percent were Trump supporters.

Another factor that may play a role in the outcome of the election is voters’ enthusiasm for their candidate. In this regard, Trump had the advantage: 90 percent of voters likely to support Trump said that they are “enthusiastic” about their guy, with 65 percent saying they’re “very enthusiastic” about him. Among Biden supporters, however, only 80 percent were “enthusiastic” about him, and only 48 percent were “very enthusiastic.”

The poll also examined the motivations of the voters — whether they’re voting for the candidate they like most or against the candidate they dislike the most. For this query, the president had the advantage. Nearly 75 percent of Trump supporters are voting for him specifically because they like him. By comparison, among those likely to vote for Biden, nearly 60 percent said they’re casting their ballot for him not because they like him, but because they dislike Trump.

Biden’s lead over Trump has ebbed and flowed as the campaign season has progressed. Just last month, for example, Biden led Trump by 15 points, while in May, that lead was only ten points, and in March, just two points separated the two candidates.