WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania’s status as a 2024 battleground state was reinforced Wednesday as a poll put President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump in a virtual dead heat.
Mr. Trump led Mr. Biden in the Quinnipiac University survey of a hypothetical general election matchup, 47% to 46% — well within the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
And despite two indictments and other ongoing investigations, Mr. Trump remains the overwhelming favorite to be the GOP standard-bearer next fall, with almost half the party’s voters supporting him, according to the poll.
Mr. Trump was backed by 49% of Pennsylvania Republican voters surveyed, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with 25%, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Vice President Mike Pence with 5% apiece, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina each with 4%.
"Though battling fierce legal headwinds, Trump leaves the rest of the GOP pack looking like also-rans and is running neck and neck with President Biden," Quinnipiac analyst Tim Malloy said.
Mr. Biden had the support of 71% of registered Democrats in the state, with 17% backing anti-vaccine activist and lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and 5% supporting author Marianne Williamson.
The poll of 1,584 registered voters was conducted June 22-26. The survey included 614 self-identified registered Republicans with a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, and 664 self-identified registered Democrats with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
Mr. Trump narrowly won Pennsylvania in the 2016 election before Mr. Biden returned it to the Democratic column in 2020.
Jonathan D. Salant: jsalant@post-gazette.com, @JDSalant
First Published: June 28, 2023, 8:26 p.m.
Updated: June 29, 2023, 9:57 a.m.
