Biden holds narrow edge over Trump in Pennsylvania poll

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has a narrow 4-point lead over President Donald Trump among likely voters in Pennsylvania, according to a new poll.

Biden, a Scranton native, leads Trump 49% to 45% in the Muhlenberg College/Morning Call poll, which surveyed 416 likely voters between Aug. 11 and Aug. 17 and has a margin of error of 5.5%. 

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Pennsylvania once again is considered a key battleground state in the Nov. 3 election, just as it was in 2016. 

More than half of those surveyed (53%) don’t think Trump, a Republican who toured the Scranton area Thursday, deserves to be re-elected to a second term, and 51% disapprove of his handling of the presidency  

But Biden, who accepted his party’s nomination in a speech on the final night of Democratic National Convention Thursday, was viewed more unfavorably than favorably, 46% to 39%.

Despite economic struggles caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, only 10% of Pennsylvania’s likely voters said their financial situation was worse than before Trump took office, and 40% said their financial situation was better, according to the poll. 

As debates rage about mail-in balloting, approximately 64% of likely voters report that they intend to vote in person, 26% plan to vote by mail and 10% are unsure what method they will choose, the poll said.

— Ron Musselman can be reached at rmusselman@yorkdispatch.com or via Twitter at @ronmusselman8.