CBS Poll: Half of Swing State Voters Say Economy Got Worse Under Biden

By WENDELL HUSEBØ

About half of voters in swing states Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan believe the economy got worse under President Joe Biden’s management, a CBS News poll found Sunday.

• With the economy ranked as the top 2024 issue, Biden’s poor marks in the three key swing states are terrible news for the president’s reelection hopes.

  Seven states, (Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina) will decide the president, longtime Democrat adviser Doug Sosnik wrote in the New York Times. If Trump wins one or more of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, Biden’s chances of obtaining 270 electoral votes become narrower, he said.

  Recent polling shows President Donald Trump leads in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

  Below is the share of voters who say the economy became worse under Biden, CBS News reported:

  • • Wisconsin: 48 percent
  • • Pennsylvania: 50 percent
  • • Michigan: 50 percent

  With inflation looming large in their minds, most voters don’t say there’s even been improvement in their state’s economy post-pandemic: only a quarter say it has improved in the years since, with about half saying it has actually gotten worse.
  
  And few say their own finances are better compared to before the pandemic. This may be an essential part of their memory — comparing to before the coronavirus.

  CBS POLL: Most swing state voters say their finances have gotten WORSE under Biden — and agree they'll be "financially better off" if President Trump wins pic.twitter.com/SS9kwIkN80
  
  — RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 28, 2024

  Voters in the three swing states looked back on Trump’s economy more fondly than Biden’s, the poll found.

  Wisconsin

  • Biden’s rating: 42 percent
  • Looking back at Trump’s: 62 percent

  Pennsylvania

  • Biden’s rating: 38 percent
  • Looking back at Trump’s: 61 percent

  Michigan

  • Biden’s rating: 38 percent
  • Looking back at Trump’s: 62 percent

  • CBS POLL:
    
    49% of voters in Pennsylvania say President Trump would do a better job on fracking oil and gas exploration.
    
    Just 33% say Biden would do the better job. pic.twitter.com/LIJODB66cK
    
    — RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 28, 2024

  • The poll sampled 1,245 registered voters in Wisconsin, 1,306 registered voters in Pennsylvania, and 1,287 registered voters in Michigan from April 19-25 with a 3.2 margin of error.