Poll: Biden Ties with Trump But Bests Haley, DeSantis

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Nick Gilbertson

President Joe Biden ties with former President Donald Trump but leads former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in hypothetical general election match-ups, according to a national Economist–YouGov poll. 

In the poll published on Wednesday, Trump and Biden both land at 44 percent in a hypothetical two-way race among 1,339 registered voters. In this scenario, six percent of respondents would back someone else, while three percent are undecided, and three percent would sit out the election. 

Trump leads Biden 40 percent to 33 percent among independents. However, Biden takes a larger portion of Democrat voters at 89 percent than Trump does Republican voters at 86 percent. 

Conversely, DeSantis and Haley both trail Biden in hypothetical races. In a matchup with DeSantis, Biden earns 44 percent of the vote, while the Florida governor is three points back at 41 percent. Five percent of respondents would back someone else, five percent are undecided, and five percent would not vote. 

MIAMI, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 08: Republican presidential candidates (L-R), former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy are introduced during the NBC News Republican Presidential Primary Debate at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County on November 8, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Five presidential hopefuls squared off in the third Republican primary debate as former U.S. President Donald Trump, currently facing indictments in four locations, declined again to participate. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

MIAMI, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 08: Republican presidential candidates (L-R), former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy are introduced during the NBC News Republican Presidential Primary Debate at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County on November 8, 2023 in Miami, Florida. Five presidential hopefuls squared off in the third Republican primary debate as former U.S. President Donald Trump, currently facing indictments in four locations, declined again to participate. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Haley performs even worse. She garners 36 percent of the response to Biden’s 41 percent, while eight percent would support a third-party candidate. Another nine percent are undecided, and six percent would not participate in the election. 

Respondents were also asked to predict who they think would win each matchup, regardless of who they support. Of the registered voter participants, 40 percent thought Biden could overcome Trump in a general election, while 46 percent believed Trump would win the two-man race. 

Conversely, a plurality of 44 percent predict Biden would beat DeSantis, while 40 percent believe the Florida governor would win the Oval Office. Moreover, 36 percent think Haley would best Biden, and 40 percent think the matchup would grant the president a second term. 

The poll was conducted December 31, 2023-Janaury 2, 2024 and the margin of error among registered voters is plus or minus three percentage points. 

The poll also gauged the temperature of the Republican presidential primary, finding that Trump is throttling his competition. He leads the way with 63 percent of support among 529 registered Republicans and independent leaners. DeSantis lands in second place with 14 percent, and three other candidates are in single digits. 

Haley takes eight percent, followed by Vivek Ramaswamy at five percent, and former Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) with just one percent. Former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR) did not secure a percentage point. 

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