Since Donald Trump’s iconic mugshot was “seen around the world,” the former president has gained two points in a hypothetical matchup against Joe Biden. In the latest Emerson College Poll, Trump now leads Biden 46 percent to 44 percent, with 10 percent undecided.
???? NATIONAL POLL: Emerson (A-)
PRES:
(R) Trump 46% (+2)
(D) Biden 44%
.
(R) Trump 44% (+5)
(D) Biden 39%
(G) West 4%
——
GOP PRES:
Trump 50% (+38)
DeSantis 12%
Ramaswamy 9%
Pence 7%
Haley 7%
Christie 5%
Scott 2%
——
8/25-26 | 1,000 RV | D37/R36/I27https://t.co/8BAdtIu6ap pic.twitter.com/Z9dwhEgrRM
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) August 28, 2023
The national survey of 1,000 registered voters was conducted August 25-26, 2023 with a margin of error (MOE) of +/- 3 percentage points.
The Emerson poll also showed that a third party candidacy hurts Biden.
With Green Party candidate Cornel West included on the ballot test, 44 percent supported Trump, 39 percent Biden, four percent West, and thirteen percent were undecided.
Trump, however, lost six percentage points in the Republican Primary since the Fox News debate last week, according to the Emerson national poll.
Fifty percent of Republican Primary voters said they plan to vote for Donald Trump, the lowest support to date for the former President in Emerson’s polling.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is in second place at 12 percent, a two percentage point increase from last week.
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy follows with 9 percent, a one-point drop from the pre-debate poll.
Former Vice President Mike Pence received 7 percent of voter support, a four-point increase from the pre-debate poll. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley saw the largest increase in support among Republican candidates, jumping 5 points from 2 percent to 7 percent.
The poll shows that both Trump and Biden’s candidacies are damaged by their legal problems.
Overall, 47 percent of voters say the four indictments of Donald Trump makes them less likely to vote for him for president in 2024, while 36 percent say it makes them more likely to vote for the former president. Seventeen percent are unsure or have no opinion. Regarding Hunter Biden tax and felony gun charges, 46 percent say it makes them less likely to vote for Biden for president in 2024, while 23 percent say it makes them more likely to vote for him, and 31% are unsure or have no opinion.
Among independent voters, 46 percent are less likely to vote for Trump because of his indictments (25 percent more likely), and 43 percent are less likely to vote for Biden because of his son’s charges (16 percent more likely) .
A majority of Republicans (60 percent) are more likely to support Trump because of his indictments with 22 percent less likely, while Democrats are more split on Hunter’s charges: 37 percent are more likely and 27 percent are less likely to support Biden’s re-election with 36 percent unsure or have no opinion.
Slightly more registered voters said they would support a Republican over a Democrat In the 2024 Congressional Elections (43 percent to 42 percent). Another 15 percent were undecided.
Despite Trump’s increase in overall support, 39 percent said they expected Biden to be president after the 2024 election, while 37 percent expected Donald Trump to be president.
Only 25 percent said they expected someone else to be president.