Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden continues to enjoy rising poll numbers in two key battleground states: North Carolina and Ohio.
Biden leads Trump 48 percent to 44 percent in North Carolina, according to a new CBS News/YouGov poll.
“To be clear, there are pretty much no paths to Trump winning the presidency without a victory in North Carolina. Additionally a Biden win in the state could help aid Democrats in their bid for the Senate majority come next January,” writes CNN analyst Harry Enten, who observes “If Trump is losing in North Carolina, he’s almost certainly losing in enough states to fall short of an electoral college majority.”
No Republican has won the presidency without North Carolina since Dwight Eisenhower in 1956.
There’s a similar story in Ohio.
According to a survey from Your Voice Ohio conducted by the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron and the Center for Marketing and Opinion Research in Akron, Biden has a 4-point lead over President Donald Trump. Biden currently stands at 46 percent and Trump at 42 percent. 31 percent said they strongly support Biden; 26 percent said they strongly support Trump.
“No Republican has ever been elected or reelected in American history without carrying Ohio, so there’s a particular burden on Trump and his allies and supporters to compete effectively in Ohio,” John Green, director emeritus of the Bliss Institute, told The Toledo Blade. “These numbers forecast a very competitive race in the state.”
Trump won Ohio by 8 points in the 2016 election cycle.