WILMINGTON, UNITED STATES - MARCH 12, 2020: Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) speaks about the ... [+]
Topline: Joe Biden would beat President Trump in a head-to-head matchup in Florida, a new poll shows, a key battleground state for Democrats in the 2020 election that turned red in 2016 and blazed a path for Trump to knock off Hillary Clinton.
- Biden would beat Trump by 6 points, 46%-40%, if the election were today and Biden was the Democratic nominee, according to a University of North Florida poll that surveyed 3,244 registered Florida voters.
- Early polls show Trump and Biden neck and neck in Florida, a state that went for Trump in 2016, and Barack Obama in 2012 and 2008.
- The poll comes as the candidates are wrapped up in one of the most unorthodox elections in U.S. history when few things are easy to predict; the coronavirus outbreak has forced candidates to cease in-person campaigning, caused states to reschedule primaries, and thrown conventional wisdom about how to win an election out the window.
- For now, though, Biden is still focused on knocking out rival Sen. Bernie Sanders who continues to remain in the race despite trailing the former vice president by a nearly insurmountable margin in pledged delegates.
Big number: With its 29 electoral college votes, Florida is a crucial get for any candidate who wants to win the White House.
What to watch for: What the best polling experts say about Biden’s chances in the state. Currently, Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a polling prediction service at the University of Virginia, rates the state as “lean Republican.”
Further reading: Sanders is facing calls from his inner circle to drop out, reports Politico.
The Vermont senator has remained in the race because he reportedly wants to keep his platform ideas, such as Medicare-for-all, relevant. He also believes the coronavirus outbreak could change the outcome of the election.
For what it’s worth, Sanders has not performed well in Florida. The senator was clobbered by Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020 in the state’s primary. Polls show the senator trailing Trump in a head to head matchup there as well.
