Trump leads Biden by 9 points in battleground Pennsylvania: poll

Former President Donald Trump took a commanding lead over his presumptive electoral rival, President Joe Biden, in the key swing state of Pennsylvania, a recent survey showed.

Trump earned 45% support among registered voters in the state in the latest Emerson College Survey, posting a 9-point lead ahead of Biden, who earned 36% support. A further 8% remain undecided while 11% said they would back a different candidate.

The results are good news for Trump, who will likely need to carry the state in order to return to the White House. He narrowly lost the Keystone State in 2020 after flipping it red in 2016. The narrow margin in the more recent contest drew allegations of voter fraud from the Republican and his supporters and was a key fixture in his claim that the election had been stolen.

Biden lagged behind other Democrats in the state, however. His approval rating stood at 31%, while 51% disapproved of him. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, by contrast, earned higher marks, with 35% approving of his performance compared to 27% who disapproved.

Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, meanwhile, staked out a clear lead over Republican challenger David McCormick, 41% to 33%. 8% backed someone else and 18% were undecided. Emerson College Polling Executive Director Spencer Kimball explained highlighted the contrast between the presidential and senatorial races, noting a high level of split ticket voting by age group.

"Biden leads Trump 44% to 39% among voters under 40, however those under 30 within this group break for Trump 45% to 39%. Conversely, Casey leads McCormick 46% to 22% among voters under 40, and leads 42% to 23% with voters under 30," he said. "An additional group that splits their ticket include voters whose highest level of education is a high school degree or less: these voters break for Trump 53% to 27%, while Casey leads this group 36% to 33% over McCormick."

Conducted Oct. 1-4, the survey questioned 430 registered Pennsylvania voters and has a margin of error of +/- 4.7%.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.