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Staff Writer

Trump Opens 5 Point National Lead

As former President Donald Trump prepares to accept the Republican nomination on Thursday night, he does so with a commanding lead over President Biden, signaling a dramatic shift in the campaign landscape.


When former President Donald Trump accepts the Republican nomination Thursday night, he will do so with his largest national lead over President Biden in the campaign so far.


A slight majority, including some who aren't voting for him, say Trump's words in the days since the assassination attempt have been more unifying than divisive. Voters feel similarly about Mr. Biden's response to the tragic events as well.


However, Trump is gaining an advantage in the vote. He is now up five points nationally and three points across key battleground states. To put that in context, it's been 20 years since a Republican presidential candidate has won the national popular vote and over 30 years since a Republican won by more than five points.


The race in the battleground states has shifted one point more toward Trump since we last surveyed these areas a week ago.


For voters, Trump's perceived handling of the assassination attempt is a net-positive reason to consider voting for him. However, for two-thirds of voters, it has not changed their consideration either way.


Among the candidates atop the party tickets, Trump is seen by more voters as fighting "a lot" for people like them.


In the midst of the nomination debate on the Democratic side, Trump also leads Vice President Kamala Harris in a hypothetical matchup. There are, at best, marginal differences in how she and Mr. Biden currently perform among demographic groups, such as younger voters and voters of color.

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