Former President Donald Trump gained an edge over President Biden in Virginia, a state that Mr. Biden won by double digits in the last election.
A new poll from The Hill and Emerson College released Thursday found that 45% of Virginia voters support Mr. Trump versus 43% backing Mr. Biden. Additionally, 11% of voters say they’re undecided between the two candidates.
For nearly two decades, Democratic presidential candidates have handily won Virginia. Mr. Biden added to that trend in 2020 when he captured the Old Dominion state by 10 points over Mr. Trump.
The latest poll, which was conducted July 14-15 from a pool of 1,000 voters, shows that the president could be slipping in Democratic strongholds after his disjointed debate performance against a strong Mr. Trump.
“In a state Biden won by 10 points in 2020, the president is now essentially tied with Trump,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, in a statement.
When undecided voters are thrown into the mix, they back Mr. Trump 46% to Mr. Biden’s 38%. Mr. Kimball noted that the same group of voters backed Mr. Biden by double digits in 2020.
Adding in other candidates shows 43% for Mr. Trump, 38% supporting Mr. Biden and 8% going for independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Uncertainty continues to swirl over whether Mr. Biden will stay atop the ticket, with more and more congressional Democrats urging him to step aside in the weeks since his dismal debate showing.
Mr. Biden has been bullish about staying on as the Democratic nominee. He has argued that the average voter believes in him and only “the Lord Almighty” could get him to drop out.
But in recent weeks he has hinted at more reasons he could quit. In a taped interview with BET News set to air Thursday, Mr. Biden said that if he had “some medical condition,” he would consider stepping aside.
The Emerson poll took that uncertainty into account, asking voters if they would support Vice President Kamala Harris if she ran at the top of the ticket.
In a hypothetical matchup between Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump, the former president again comes out ahead, with 47% of voters backing him versus 45% for the vice president. In that scenario, 9% said they were undecided.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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