The New York Times released a hotly anticipated poll on Wednesday, showing Donald Trump’s lead in the presidential race has reached new heights.
The latest poll from Siena College and The New York Times indicates that Trump is leading outside the margin of error, a significant increase from a three-point lead last week. The nationwide poll was conducted following last Thursday’s presidential debate.
Among likely voters, Trump leads Biden 49%-43%. With all registered voters included, Trump’s lead expands to 8 points, 49% to 41%.
Key Findings
- The nationwide survey of 1,532 voters was conducted between June 28 and July 2.
- Seventy-four percent of respondents agreed that “Joe Biden is just too old to be an effective president.”
- This number includes 62% of Biden voters from 2020.
Biden Campaign’s Response
The Biden campaign sought to calm nerves ahead of the NYT release, sending out an all-staff memo including internal polls suggesting a tight race and claiming the Times has a history of being a polling outlier, a talking point long parroted by sympathetic pundits.
Moments before the poll’s release, President Biden and Vice President Harris dialed into Wednesday’s campaign conference call. According to Politico senior columnist Jonathan Martin, who’s in contact with someone on the calls, Biden sounded scripted, but the message was clear: “he’s staying in.”
Shifts in Voter Demographics
The cross-tabs from the poll show Biden losing young and Hispanic voters:
- 15% of Black Americans support Trump.
- Interestingly, older voters back Biden by 4 points.
