- A new Fox News poll published on Thursday asked if the 2020 election were today who would be their preference: The poll found that voters would select Democrat Joe Biden over Donald Trump 50% to 38%.
- According to the poll, Biden has been able to widen his lead against Trump compared to a Fox News poll conducted last month, which put Biden ahead of Trump by 48% to 40%.
- Racism, unemployment, and concerns about coronavirus are top-of-mind for voters, the poll shows.
- The poll also suggested that the preference for Biden over Trump among respondents had less to do with enthusiasm for Biden's policies and more to do with a determination to cut Trump off from a second term in office.
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A new Fox News poll that asked if the 2020 election were today, found voters would select former Vice President Joe Biden over President Donald Trump 50% to 38%.
The poll was conducted between June 13-16 by Democratic organization Beacon Research and Republican research team Shaw & Company. Researchers conducted phone interviews with 1,343 randomly chosen registered voters across the US. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.5% for all registered voters.
According to the poll, Biden has been able to widen his lead against Trump compared to a Fox News poll conducted last month, which put Biden ahead of Trump by 48% to 40%.
Racism, unemployment, and concerns about coronavirus are top-of-mind for voters, the poll shows. In terms of what participants viewed as a "major" threat to the stability of the country, 67% said coronavirus, another 67% said unemployment, and 64% said racism.
"Negative emotions like fear, anxiety, and anger, can be powerful motivators for political participation," said Daron Shaw, who helped conduct the Fox News Poll.
According to the poll, Biden has broader support over Trump among Black voters, millennial voters, women, senior citizens, and those who live in suburban areas.
Only 35% of those who participated in the poll found that Trump respects racial minorities, while 53% said the same of Biden; 61% of participants disapprove of how Trump is handling race relations.
"It's hard to believe an issue has emerged more challenging for Trump to navigate during his re-election campaign than a pandemic, but that happened with the racial reckoning prompted by George Floyd's murder," said Chris Anderson, the founder and president of Beacon Research.
The poll suggested that the preference for Biden over Trump among respondents had less to do with enthusiasm for Biden's policies and more to do with a determination to cut Trump off from a second term in office.
According to the poll, 63% of Biden supporters said fear of Trump winning was their biggest motivation for the presidential vote, while 62% of Trump voters said their vote was based on enthusiasm for their candidate.
According to Anderson, this disparity creates a potential opening for Trump "to define [Biden] as out of touch an don't up to the task."
Trump told Fox News last week said he would leave the White House peacefully if he lost the upcoming election to Biden, in response to comments made by Biden that the military would need to escort Trump out of office.
Trump has hit back at polls that show him trailing behind his prospective Democratic rival. Last week, lawyers for Trump's re-election campaign demanded that CNN retract and apologize for an unfavorable poll that shows Biden leading Trump by 14 points nationally.
CNN said they stand by the poll and will not apologize for it or retract it.
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