Emerson poll finds Trump-Biden race tightening post-conventions

The race between President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden tightened after the two major party conventions concluded, according to a new poll. 

Biden leads Trump by 2 points, according to an Emerson College poll released Monday. Biden’s lead is within the survey’s 2.4 percentage point margin of error. 

Biden has 49 percent support compared with Trump’s 47 percent, according to the poll. Biden’s lead narrowed to 2 points, down from 4 points in a similar survey conducted in July. 

Director of Emerson College Polling Spencer Kimball attributed Trump’s bump to the Republican National Convention, which ended Thursday with Trump’s speech officially accepting the party nomination. 

“The Republican convention gave Trump his most positive week of news coverage which likely attributes to his bounce in this month’s poll and increasing job approval,” Kimball said. 

Trump’s support in the presidential race increased to 47 percent in this month’s poll, up from 46 percent in July. Trump’s job approval rating also increased by 4 points, reaching 49 percent in the August survey. 

Trump leads Biden with male voters, 50 percent to 45 percent, while Biden leads with female voters, 52 percent to 44 percent, based on the poll. 

Biden is also leading Trump with independents, 50 percent to 42 percent, according to the survey.

The Emerson poll was conducted Aug. 30 and Aug. 31, days after the GOP convention wrapped up. The Democratic National Convention was held the week before the Republicans’ nominating convention. The poll surveyed 1,567 likely voters.