Biden leads Trump among registered voters in new national poll

President Biden is narrowly leading former President Trump in a new national poll of voters, with his lead growing slightly when narrowing in on those who said they definitely plan to vote in November.

A Marist/PBS NewsHour poll published Monday found Biden leading Trump 51 percent to 48 percent among registered voters, a slight uptick from a poll published earlier this month that showed Biden leading 50 percent to 48 percent.

The poll found Biden’s lead grows to 53 percent to 47 percent when only counting those who said they definitely plan to vote in November’s election.

Among independent voters, the two men are tied at 49 percent, with 2 percent saying they were undecided.

Biden maintains his lead in the poll even when the survey was expanded to include independent and third party candidates, such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West and Jill Stein.

When those three candidates were included, Biden still leads Trump 43-38 among registered voters, with Kennedy pulling 14 percent support. Kennedy drew support from 8 percent of Democrats surveyed and 10 percent of Republicans, as well as 27 percent of independents.

The poll surveyed 1,192 adults, including 1,047 registered voters, from April 16-18, meaning it took place during the opening week of Trump’s hush money trial in New York City. The poll has a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.

Biden has made gains in national polls in recent weeks, pulling even with Trump in a Decision Desk HQ/The Hill average of national polls. The close polls are a sign of what strategists have long said will likely be a close election between Biden and Trump, a rematch of the 2020 race that Biden won.

Battleground state polling has been more favorable to Trump, however. Decision Desk HQ averages show Trump leading in Michigan, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina, while Biden fares better in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.