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Former President Donald Trump leads President Joe Biden by twice his margin of victory in the Lone Star State four years ago in the contest for Texas’ 40 electoral votes, according to a new poll.
A Marist College survey shows Republican Sen. Ted Cruz leading Democratic opponent Rep. Colin Allred by six points in a crucial Senate contest as the GOP looks to recapture the majority in the chamber in November’s elections.
In 2020, Trump defeated Biden in Texas by about 5.5 points, the narrowest victory margin for a Republican presidential candidate in a deeply red state in almost 25 years.
“Independents, who Biden carried by 6 percentage points in 2020, now break for Trump. Trump receives 56% of Texas independents to 41% for Biden,” the release from Marist highlights.
According to the poll, Trump has significantly increased his support among black and Latino voters, while Biden appears to have lost ground with younger voters.
According to the survey, Trump is leading Biden by 48%, Kennedy is trailing at 15%, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Democrat who turned independent, is among the three potential presidential candidates.
With 27% of voters, immigration was the most pressing concern in Texas, a state that borders Mexico by 1,254 miles.
The survey found that maintaining democracy (ranked first at 24%) and inflation (ranked second at 26%) were the two most important issues.
Polling has not been good for Biden this month.
In a separate USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll, Trump defeated Biden 40% to 38%, drawing a near-tie in a volatile electorate as the candidates get underway.
A sizable portion of voters were dissatisfied with their options and receptive to being convinced, according to the first USA TODAY survey conducted since the two candidates secured their presidential nominations.
“Nearly eight months out, the election is not set yet. One in four of those surveyed said they might change their minds before November. That unsettled sentiment was bipartisan, including 14% of Biden voters and 15% of Trump voters,” USA Today reported.
The outlet added: “Most of those now backing a third-party candidate said they were open to changing their minds, among them 75% of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. supporters and 94% of Jill Stein supporters. That signals the potential erosion that independent candidates often see as Election Day nears. It also provides a big opportunity for each major-party candidate to make his case to voters who are now reluctant to support him and to convince those voters that it would be dangerous or unwise to back the other guy.”
Concerns about immigration (24%) and challenges to democracy (23%) trailed closely behind voters’ rankings of inflation and the economy, which accounted for 29% of their vote.
Abortion was the only other topic to reach double digits, coming in at 10%.
Another new survey shows Biden falling further behind Trump on the issues voters care most about this election year.
According to the ABC/Ipsos poll conducted between March 8 and 9, 36 percent of respondents said that they trusted Trump compared to 33 percent who said they trusted Biden, while 30 percent said neither candidate had their trust.
Trump received higher ratings than Biden on all issues except abortion and climate change when respondents were asked about their opinions on the job performance of both presidents.
Trump garnered a 49 percent favorable rating on the economy, contrasting with Biden’s 37 percent.
Regarding inflation, 45 percent approved of Trump, compared to 31 percent for Biden. Regarding crime, Trump was viewed more favorably at 41 percent compared to Biden’s 35 percent.
Similarly, on immigration, the former president received a 45 percent favorable rating, while Biden trailed with 29 percent.
After visiting Philadelphia to discuss policy with Black Americans, Rep. Wesley Hunt, a Republican from Texas, thinks that former President Donald Trump is making progress with Black voters.
On Tuesday, in an attempt to draw attention to the Republican Party’s agenda and policies before of the election, Hunt and Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., addressed a “packed house” in the progressive city.
Then, Hunt discussed why he believes that more Black voters defecting from the Democratic Party could result in Biden losing his reelection in an interview with Fox News Digital. He claimed that Trump is spearheading this shift.
“Congress, Cognac, & Cigars” featured a discussion between Hunt and Donalds with former NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya as moderator. Similar events will follow in Atlanta, Ga., Detroit, Mich. Milwaukee, Wis., Charlotte, N.C. and other cities in states key to winning the 2024 presidential election.
“Trump’s policies four years ago are not just Black issues, but they are American issues. And if President Trump is able to attain between 25 and 30% of the Black male vote, then Joe Biden cannot win,” said Hunt.
Hunt said Trump, “set a record for Black turnout in 2020” and can build on that number in November.
Hunt said they are doing the work and trying to inspire voters by going into areas “where no conservative in the past three decades has bravely gone before.”
“You haven’t had voices like me and Byron Donalds that are willing to take the initiative to do what we’ve been doing over the course of the past year,” said Hunt.