Election Update
The 2020 Presidential race is shaping up to be one of the most heated and controversial elections in recent history. It’s essential to stay up-to-date on all the latest happenings in the 2020 election. Here’s what you need to know.
The past few weeks have looked rough for incumbent President Trump. After his controversial presidential debate performance, the gap between him and Biden widened, with the ABC News/Washington Post polling shows Trump down twelve points in the national average, with little signs of improvement. However, not all hope is lost for the Trump campaign as CBS YouGov polls released from crucial battleground states of Iowa, Michigan, and Nevada suggest that the race might be much closer than the national average indicates. In Iowa, Trump and Biden are in a dead heat, with both possessing 49% of the vote. In Michigan and Nevada, the polls have Biden up six points, which is within the margin of error, once again suggesting that the race is not over, and that Trump still has a shot at reelection. A Gallup poll released October 7th asked its panel of respondents, “Would you say you and your family are better off now than you were four years ago, or are you worse off now?” A startling 56% answered positively, affirming that they are better off now. This poll could be potentially huge for the Trump campaign, as it appears there might be a silent Trump base in America that other polls are not reflecting.
Recent news broke regarding a former associate of Vice President Biden’s son, Hunter, which could affect his standing in the polls. As reported by Politico, Devon Archer was recently re-convicted on charges of fraud. In 2018, Archer and a group of associates were convicted on conspiracy charges to commit securities fraud. Archer appealed, and Judge Ronnie Abrams overturned the conviction. On Wednesday, the U.S. Second Circuit Court reinstated the original conviction. Hunter Biden was not implicated in the fraud. Still, given his history with Archer (they served together on the Board of Directors at Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian oil and natural gas company), some have raised questions of corruption.
However, the Trump campaign efforts to gather momentum were dealt a severe blow when, on October 9th, the CPD (Commission on Presidential Debates) announced that the debate scheduled to occur on October 15th would not proceed in person, and would instead shift to a virtual format. The Trump campaign protested this decision in a statement made by the Trump campaign manager, decrying the move as unnecessary. He declared, “We’ll pass on this sad excuse to bail out Joe Biden and do a rally instead.” The Biden campaign responded, “Donald Trump doesn’t make the debate schedule… Trump can show up, or he can decline again. That’s his choice.”
As a result of the CPD debate announcement, more scrutiny was applied to the vice presidential debate that took place a few days prior. In the match-up between Senator Kamala Harris and Vice President Mike Pence, it appears that Senator Harris managed to pull out a very slim victory in the eyes of the American public, as reported by FiveThirtyEight. Consequently, neither Biden nor Trump gained or lost very much ground in the polls, but with the lead Biden currently holds over Trump, it is a very favorable outcome for Biden.
