The titanic Biden-Trump election likely will be decided by roughly 6% of voters in just six states
New polling data indicates the race for the White House will likely come down to just a small percentage of voters in six swing states.
According to a new ABC News/Ipsos poll, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are neck and neck among registered voters, with Biden leading 46% to 45%. But most of those voters don't really matter, according to a report by Axios.
The publication noted that "roughly 244 million Americans will be eligible to vote. But 99.5% of us won't be deciders: We won't vote. Or we always vote the same way. Or we live in states virtually certain to be red or blue."
That's why campaigns are focused on six battleground states where voters could unpredictably go either way -- Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
"The fact is, we're a divided country, and you can look at it in different ways," Correspondent Stephen Portnoy told WBEN. "One of the best ways to look at it is where will this race actually be lost and won? And the thinking among political insiders is it'll be won and lost in six swing states. Our survey asks people in swing states for whom they'd vote. Well, that split two. Biden 46, Trump 45."
A poll from Emerson College/The Hill released earlier this month shows Trump is leading all six battleground states.
According to the poll:
• In Arizona, Trump leads by four points: 48% to 44%; 8% are undecided.
• In Georgia, 47% support Trump, 44% Biden, and 9% are undecided.
• In Michigan, 45% support Trump, 44% Biden, and 11% are undecided.
• In Nevada, 45% support Trump, 44% Biden, and 11% are undecided.
• In Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, 47% support Trump, 45% Biden, and 8% are undecided.
The poll also noted that when third-party candidates are included on the ballot, support is pulled away from Biden more than Trump in four states: Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Support is drawn evenly from each candidate in Arizona and Michigan.
While it may be a lot of interesting numbers, Election Day is still six months away -- and a lot can change by then. According to the ABC News/Ipsos poll, economy and inflation remain the most important issues for Americans when determining who they may support for president in November. More Americans trust Trump over Biden on these issues and feel they were better off financially under Trump than Biden. However, Americans' views on both of the candidates remain dim, with many feeling both candidates are too old and not trustworthy, according to the poll.
"Overall, the 2024 election remains a toss-up," pollsters noted.
