MILWAUKEE — Former President Donald Trump notched a slim lead over President Biden in Virginia, a state that Republicans haven’t won nationally since 2004, a new poll revealed.
Trump edged out Biden 45% to 43% while 11% of voters were undecided, as the former president displayed considerable strength with independent voters, a new Emerson College Polling/The Hill found.
The men tied at 50% when undecided voters were told to pick one or the other.
And when third-party contenders were added into the mix, Trump nabbed a larger lead, 43% to Biden’s 38%, followed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at 8%, Cornel West at 2%, Jill Stein at 2% and 8% undecided.
“In a state Biden won by 10 points in 2020, the president is now essentially tied with Trump,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, explained in a statement.
“Independent voters break for Trump, 46% to 38%, a group that broke for Biden in 2020 by double digits.”
Other polls have gauged a similar level of competitiveness in Virginia for Trump.
The 45th president is up by 0.4 percentage pages in the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate of polls, but that dips to Biden leading by 1.7 percentage points in a five-way contest.
Republicans have had their sights set on expanding the electoral map and have eyed Virginia as a potential pickup, despite Trump, 78, losing the Old Dominion by about 10 points in 2020.
“After 12 years of only electing Democrats statewide, in November 2021, Virginians elected a Republican outside businessman as their 74th governor,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin bellowed out at the Republican National Convention on Monday.
“And I believe this year Virginia will elect another Republican outside businessman as president of the United States.”
In a matchup against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump clinched a similar lead, dispatching her 47% to 45% with 9% undecided, per the Emerson poll.
Overall, Biden’s approval rating is underwater with Virginia voters. Only 37% approve of his job performance, compared to 53% who disapprove.
By contrast, Youngkin’s approval clocked in at 46% while 38% disapproved.
Top issues for Virginia voters include the economy (40%), housing affordability (12%), threats to democracy (9%), education (7%) and abortion (6%), according to the poll
Down ballot, incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) topped his GOP foe Hung Cao 49% to 39%. Back in 2018, during a blue wave cycle, Kaine bested his Republican challenger by about 16 points.
Biden’s anemic standing in the polls, coupled with elevated concerns about his mental acuity, have prompted a Democratic mutiny against him.
Democrats have confirmed this week that they won’t officially crown him the party nominee until August — while sticking with plans for a virtual roll call before the party’s convention later that month.
At least 21 Democrats in Congress, including Rep. Marie Glusenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) have called upon Biden to step aside.
Thus far, Biden has refused to pass the baton as the presumptive party standard bearer.