Michigan Poll: Donald Trump Tied with Joe Biden, Takes Lead When Cornel West Is Third Party Candidate

An NBC Poll released over the weekend shows former President Donald Trump leading Presiden
Joe Raedle, JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images
Nick Gilbertson

Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden are tied in Michigan in a hypothetical rematch of the 2020 election, but Trump takes the lead when Green Party presidential candidate Cornel West is included in the field, according to an Emerson College Polling survey.

The survey, released on Friday, shows Trump and Biden tied at 44 percent in a head-to-head race. Five percent of respondents are undecided, while another eight percent support someone else in that scenario. 

When West is included, Biden’s support drops to 41 percent, while West garners four percent, and Trump leads with a plurality of 43 percent. Another four percent back someone else, while eight percent are undecided. The poll also shows Trump dominating the GOP primary field. 

Emerson College Polling sampled 1,121 registered voters from August 1-2. The poll’s credibility interval is ± 2.9 percentage points. 

West, a radical progressive, is worrying liberals with his candidacy for the exact reasons illustrated in the poll: He could hurt Biden and help propel Trump or another Republican to victory in a general election. 

RELATED — Carville: Cornel West a “Threat to the Continued Constitutional Order,” He Will Get Trump Elected

Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Jim McGovern (D-MA) shared their fears over the prospect with the Hill.

Ocasio-Cortez told the outlet: 

I think he has a very long record of service and academic thought leadership … I think just right now, given the Electoral College, it’s very difficult to square the very real threat of a Republican presidency … [with] the risk of giving up the very small margin of electoral votes needed to ensure that President Biden wins.

“The stakes are too high this year, especially if Trump is the nominee,” McGovern told the Hill. “I think everybody, including the most progressive elements of our country, need to protect our democracy by stopping Donald Trump and supporting Joe Biden.”

Amid the worry, West is facing attacks from the left. On Thursday, the Daily Beast published an article reporting he owes over $500,000 in back taxes and labeled him a “deadbeat.”

In response, West said he and his sibling had “asked [his] accountant to respond to these charges, some of which are not true.” 

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has also been widely discussed as a potential third-party candidate and has been linked to the No Labels group. 

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