President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden are virtually tied in Ohio, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll released Wednesday.
Biden leads 45 to 44 percent in the survey, taken after the presidential debate and Trump’s announcement that he had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Trump carried Ohio by eight percentage points in 2016 and his team is confident he will win again in November – the campaign earlier this week canceled its planned television advertising in the state citing its odds.
"President Trump and his campaign are extremely confident about our chances in these states,” Trump campaign spokeswoman Samantha Zager said of the canceled ads in Iowa and Ohio.
“We have been talking directly with voters for years via multiple avenues about the success of President Trump's America First agenda. Unlike Joe Biden, campaign ads aren't the only way we know how to campaign.”
The NYT/Siena College poll, which surveyed 661 likely voters and has a margin error of +/- 4.3 percent, also found:
- 65 percent believe politicians should campaign in front of small crowds
- Biden leads by 11 percentage points among women. He has also retained a significant advantage among suburban voters, leading by 22 percentage points
- 58 percent say Trump didn’t take adequate precautions against COVID-19