Biden Beats Trump By 14 Points in First NYT Poll of Campaign as Trump Clings to Slim Hold on White Voters

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Former Vice President Joe Biden has a commanding 14-point lead in the first New York Times poll of the general election, as President Donald Trump clings to a one-point advantage with the white voters who propelled him to electoral victory in 2016.

Biden was the choice for 50 percent of voters in the NYT/Siena college poll, while Trump garnered just 36 percent. That result continues a devastating streak of national polls for Trump that has seen him crushed by a dozen points or more in the last three polls, and which has seen Biden seize a double-digit lead in the RCP polling average for the first time since Biden secured the nomination.

The former VP is being propelled by nonwhite voters, as he holds a 74-point advantage with Black voters and a 39-point lead with Hispanic voters, but even among white voters, Trump leads by only one point. The poll does, however, underscore the need for Biden to energize turnout among his base of support, as Black and Hispanic voters were significantly less likely than whites to say they are “almost certain to vote” in November.

And among the 14 percent overall who said they either wouldn’t vote, would vote for a third candidate, or were undecided, Black voters were significantly more likely to fall into the last category.

Consistent with other recent polls, Biden also holds wide leads over Trump on almost every issue, but still trails on the economy, with 50 percent giving the edge to Trump, 45 percent saying Biden would handle the economy better, and five percent undecided or refusing to answer.

Trump also remains strong with non-college white voters, with whom he leads Biden by nineteen points.