‘CNN’ Poll: Joe Biden Expands National Lead Over Donald Trump To 16 Points

According to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has expanded his nationwide lead over President Donald Trump to 16 percentage points.

With less than a month until Election Day, this is Biden’s most formidable lead to date. The poll was conducted after the first presidential debate, with many responses coming after Trump revealed that he had coronavirus.

Biden has expanded his edge over Trump among several key voting blocs. He made gains among women, especially among women of color and white women with college degrees. He also improved his standing with people of color, independent voters, young people and moderates.

Biden’s gains were, at least in part, driven by a strong performance in the first debate, according to the survey. More than half of those polled said that he did a good job, while only 26 percent said the same of Trump.

The survey found that likely voters prefer Biden over Trump on a wide range of issues, many of which are considered critical in determining the outcome of the race. Biden is more trusted to handle the coronavirus outbreak, health care, racial inequality, crime and Supreme Court nominations.

There is only one exception. On the question of who would better handle the economy, the two candidates are virtually tied.

Furthermore, pluralities of voters see Biden as someone who is honest and trustworthy, cares about people like them, and has a plan to solve the nation’s greatest issues, CNN found. A strong majority of respondents said that Biden would be able to unite the country.

The survey also showed that Biden’s favorability ratings have improved. Fifty-two percent of respondents said that they have a positive view of the Democrat, while 39 percent said the same of Trump.

Notably, although the vast majority of respondents said that whoever loses the election should concede, more than half said that they do not expect Trump to accept the results of the contest.

“Regardless of Biden’s national lead, the race for the White House will ultimately come down to a handful of swing states that will drive the outcome in the Electoral College,” CNN noted.

“The former vice president leads in several of those critical battlegrounds, but by more narrow margins than his national advantage. A poll is not a prediction of how the election will ultimately turn out but instead is a snapshot of the race as it currently stands.”

The findings mirror other recent polls. According to the latest NBC News-Wall Street Journal polling, Trump is trailing his opponent by 14 percentage points.