Washington: Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris are maintaining a double-digit lead in the country over incumbent President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, as the presidential election draws closer, says a Washington Post-ABC News poll.
As the Democrats kicked off their National Convention on Monday, Biden and Harris lead Trump and Pence by 53 percent to 41 percent among registered voters, The Washington Post reported.
Among voters, Biden's current national margin over Trump is slightly smaller than the 15-point margin in a poll conducted last month and slightly larger than a survey in May when he led by 10 points. As the pandemic was in its initial stage, Biden and Trump were separated by just two points, with the former having a statistically insignificant advantage.
Nearly 9 in 10 of Trump's supporters are enthusiastic to cast ballots for him and 65 percent saying they are very enthusiastic. Slightly over 8 in 10 Biden supporters stated they are enthusiastic about voting for the former Vice President, with 48 percent saying they are "very enthusiastic", the poll said.
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Overall, 54 percent of registered voters said they are following the presidential election very closely. The share of Republicans and Republican-leaning independent voters stands at 58 percent, the same as it was in September 2016.
53 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independent voters are also saying they are very closely following the campaign, a jump of 13 points around this time four years back.
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54 percent of Americans approve of Biden's selection of Harris as his running mate, although views vary significantly along partisan lines. Among Democrats, 86 percent approve of Harris' selection including 64 percent who strongly approve.
Among Republicans, 55 percent disagree with 46 percent strongly disapproving. A majority of Independents -- 52 percent -- say they approve, with 29 percent disapproving Biden's decision, according to The Washington Post.
As per the poll, nearly 8 in 10 African-Americans approve of Harris' decision as a running mate, including 50 percent who approve strongly. Nearly two-thirds of Hispanic adults approve Biden's choice, as compared with just under half of White adults. However, overall 71 percent of adults say Harris' selection will not make a difference in how they vote, including majorities of Democrats, Republicans and independents.
Asked if qualifications of Harris and Pence were required to assume the presidency, 54 percent say they thought each was qualified to take the job at the White House.
A president's job approval rating correlates closely with support in a re-election campaign. So far, 43 percent say they approve of Trump's job as president, slightly higher from 39 percent last month, with 55 percent disapproving, according to the poll.
85 percent of registered voters say that the coronavirus outbreak in the US is either just "somewhat under control" or "not at all under control," with 14 percent saying the crisis is "mostly" or "completely" under control.
Here, Biden wins clear majority support among the voters who are more worried about the pandemic -- 65 percent back Biden while 29 percent support Trump.
Asked if the country's response to the pandemic would be better or worse if Biden was the president, 46 percent of Americans say it would be better while 24 percent say worse, according to the poll.
On the economy, which was Trump's strongest asset before the crisis disrupted it, leading to joblessness among tens of millions, 32 percent say the economy would be better under Biden, 35 percent say worse while 30 percent say about the same.
Women support Biden by 56 percent to 40 percent, the same margin which former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had over Trump in 2016. Men back Biden by half that margin -- 51 percent to 43 percent -- although they went for Trump in 2016, say exit polls.
The Washington Post-ABC News poll was conducted from August 12 to 15 among a random national sample of 1,001 adults, with 75 percent reached on cellphones and 25 percent on landlines.
(ANI)
