According to RealClearPolitics, Democrat presidential nominee Joe Biden’s supposed edge in key battleground states was at its lowest level in nearly 200 days as the election drew to a close on Tuesday.
The RCP Poll Average saw Biden’s lead slip to 2.3 percentage points in the states that helped President Donald Trump secure the election in 2016.
For comparison, Hillary Clinton’s election day lead in battleground states was 1.1 percent. She ultimately led Trump in the overall vote by 2.1 percent but lost several states that Democrats had taken for granted.
While Biden is still better positioned than Clinton was, his edge has plunged more precipitously, down from 3.5 percent on Saturday.
With Trump barnstorming states in the final days, holding up to seven rallies per day, the momentum appears to favor him.
A poll by CNBC confirmed the RCP trend in his favor, saying Trump had closed the gap in states including Florida, Arizona and Wisconsin. The analysis also included Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, where the Trump campaign remained cautiously optimistic.
Biden, like Clinton, has maintained a steady advantage over Trump in polling. However, much of that lead is attributed to polling biases such as oversampling of Democrats, poll “shy” Trump voters, leading questions and other factors.
Trump’s total support, meanwhile, climbed to 44 percent, its highest level since early April, as coronavirus lockdowns began to wreak havoc on his historic economy.
That gave Biden a lead of 7.2 percent in the overall national polls, although those numbers were likely skewed by populous blue states including New York and California.
According to some estimates, there was a projected voter participation level reaching near 70 percent, eclipsing the modern-era record set by the 1960 race between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy.
