Majorities in Michigan, Pennsylvania dissatisfied with choices in presidential race: Polling

Majorities of voters in Michigan and Pennsylvania, two key swing states that helped President Biden win in 2020, are dissatisfied with their choices this year, according to polling released Friday.

The CNN surveys, conducted by SSRS, found that majorities of voters in the two battleground states aren’t happy that Biden and former President Trump are the leading candidates in the election this fall. Just 47 percent of voters in Pennsylvania and 46 percent in Michigan say they’re satisfied with them.

The surveys were conducted just after Biden and Trump clinched their respective parties’ nominations and kick-started the 2024 general election campaign, which is expected to feature another close race between Biden and Trump.

The new polling also found Trump and Biden are in a dead-even race in Pennsylvania, each earning 46 percent support among registered voters.

While Biden earned support among women, voters of color, college graduates and independent voters, he struggled with younger voters in Pennsylvania. He was “about even” with Trump among voters under the age of 35, CNN noted.

In Michigan, Trump has an 8-point lead; the former president secured 50 percent support, to Biden’s 42 percent. The incumbent had less support among voters of color and trailed Trump among independents and young voters in Michigan.

“In both states, Biden holds on to about 9 in 10 of his self-described 2020 supporters, while Trump keeps slightly more of his own 2020 voters,” the network reported.

And while many voters say they’ve already made up their mind, a sizable amount in each state say they have less solidly decided who to support. In Michigan, 45 percent of independents have yet to make up their mind, and 32 percent in Pennsylvania say the same.

According to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ, Biden trails Trump in Michigan; Trump holds 45.4 percent support while Biden has 42.1 percent. In Pennsylvania, Trump leads with 46.3 percent, while Biden has 41.5 percent.

The CNN polls were conducted March 13-18 among 1,097 Michigan voters and 1,132 Pennsylvania voters. The margin of error in Michigan is 3.6 percentage points and 3.8 percentage points in Pennsylvania.

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