Private polling from Democrat and Republican sources revealed that former President Donald Trump has extended his lead in Pennsylvania from 4 percentage points to 10 over President Joe Biden following their June 27 debate in Atlanta.
The information was released Tuesday by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, which also stated that Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Nebraska's 2nd District, which Biden carried in 2020 by less than 8 percentage points each, have moved from "likely Democrat" to "lean Democrat" and that Trump's outside-the-margin-of-error leads in Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada move them from "toss up" to "lean Republican."
Democrats have been in crisis mode since the debate because Biden's performance raised concerns about his mental and physical health and whether the oldest-serving president in U.S. history has the capacity to serve another four-year term.
"That leaves three states in the 'toss up' column: Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin," the report's author, Amy Walter, wrote. "At present, Pennsylvania is the most vulnerable to a flip toward Trump. Biden has trailed in polling there since the spring by anywhere from 2-3 points.
"Since the debate, however, public and private polling has shown Trump opening up a bigger lead."
Biden won Pennsylvania by 80,555 votes in 2020. Trump won the state by 44,292 votes over Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Walter wrote that Pennsylvania is the only state in which Trump's super PAC, MAGA Inc., has spent substantially on advertising. According to data from AdImpact, between January and May, the super PAC has spent more than $10 million on advertising in the state.
"But we want to see some more post-debate polling in the battleground states before we shift these three midwestern states," Walter wrote.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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