CNN Polls: Majority of voters in Michigan and Pennsylvania are dissatisfied with their presidential choices

CNN Polls: Majority of voters in Michigan and Pennsylvania are dissatisfied with their presidential choices

Voters in Michigan and Pennsylvania – two states that flipped from red to blue in the 2020 presidential election – begin this year’s general election campaign more dissatisfied than pleased with the candidates they have to choose from, with a fairly small but crucial share saying they are open to changing their minds on the race, according to new CNN polling conducted by SSRS. The surveys of registered voters find a dead-even race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden in Pennsylvania (46% each), with Trump ahead in Michigan (50% Trump to 42% Biden). Both polls were fielded after Trump and Biden each clinched enough delegates to win their party’s nomination for president, according to CNN’s estimates. The polls suggest that in this rematch with Trump, Biden’s winning 2020 coalition may now be more intact in Pennsylvania than in Michigan. The Pennsylvania poll finds Biden leading among women, voters of color, college graduates and independents, and running about even with Trump among voters younger than 35. In Michigan, though, women split about evenly, Biden’s margin among voters of color is narrower and he trails Trump by significant margins among independents and young voters. In both states, Biden holds on to about 9 in 10 of his self-described 2020 supporters, while Trump keeps slightly more of his own 2020 voters. Sizing up their choices in the rematch between Biden and Trump, most voters in both states say they’ve already decided, but about a quarter in each state say they could change their minds between now and the election. That’s more than enough to swing the eventual outcome in these two pivotal states, both of which Biden won by slim margins in 2020. There’s even more room for movement among a few key subgroups: In Michigan, 45% of independents and 41% of voters younger than 35 say they’re less than solidly decided, and it’s 32% of independents and 34% of younger voters in Pennsylvania. Fewer than half of voters in either state say they are satisfied with their choices in the presidential race (47% in Pennsylvania, 46% in Michigan). In Michigan, satisfaction has dropped since a fall survey was conducted as former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s now-suspended campaign for the GOP nomination gained traction, but before any nominating contests were held (53% were satisfied in that survey). That decline is steepest among independents (from 46% satisfied in the fall poll to 29% satisfied now), with a smaller dip among Republicans (from 71% to 65%).