US elections: Trump trails Biden in two key battleground states, shows poll

Voters in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania think the US is doing poorly and that Biden would do a better job than Trump in handling the coronavirus outbreak, the poll showed

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is leading President Donald Trump by as much as six percentage points in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, two battleground states the Republican leader had won in the last election, according to a new opinion poll on Monday.

Voters in these two states think the US is doing poorly and that Biden would do a better job than Trump in handling the coronavirus outbreak, the CBS News reported citing the findings of its poll tracker.

The CBS poll tracker was conducted by UK-based market research firm YouGov from August 4 to 7. They were based on a sample size of 1,009 registered voters in Wisconsin and 1,225 in Pennsylvania. The study has an error margin of +/- 3.7 points.

Traditionally Trump has held an advantage over Biden on the economic front, but that advantage has eroded due to the coronavirus outbreak, the CBS News reported.

In the 2016 US election, late votes in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania had ensured Trump's win. However, recent polls have suggested that the crucial swing states are leaning towards the Democratic candidate.

Voters in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania believe the Trump presidency has not gone as expected. Biden has cut into Trump's White, non-college voters, an important support base for the president.

Over 60 per cent of the poll participants dislike how the president handles himself and over half believe their problems are better understood by Biden.

Biden presently has a lead of about 6 points but that could change quickly, the CBS reported.

Nearly half of Biden's supporters say that the vice presidential pick will influence their decision come election day.

The US presidential election will be held on November 3.