Biden Holds 1 Point Lead over Trump, Poll Shows

Some 40% of registered voters in the two-day poll said they would vote for Biden, a Democrat, if the election were held today, compared with 39% who picked former US President Donald Trump. That 1point lead was down from a 4 point lead Biden had in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted April 4-8. The survey had a roughly 3 percentage point margin of error for registered voters and many voters remain on the fence six months before the November 5 election.

Some 28% of registered voters in the poll said they had not picked a candidate, were leaning toward third-party options or might not vote at all.

The poll found 8% of respondents would pick Robert Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist running as an independent, if he were on the ballot with Trump and Biden. While nationwide surveys give important signals on American support for political candidates, just a handful of competitive states typically tilt the balance in the US electoral college, which ultimately decides who wins a presidential election.

Both candidates carry significant liabilities ahead of what is expected to be a close race and the first US presidential election rematch in nearly 70 years.

Trump has spent much of April in a Manhattan courtroom in what is the first of four pending criminal trials against him.

Biden's liabilities include concerns about his age -81- as well as strong criticism from a slice of his Democratic Party over his support of Israel's war on Gaza.

The poll, which surveyed adults nationwide, included many ways to measure support for Biden and Trump, 77, and most pointed to a close race.