Joe Biden and Donald Trump won their respective primaries in Pennsylvania Tuesday. There’s no doubt about that.
But did the results reveal some troubling news for Trump in the critical swing state? Nikki Haley, who dropped out of the GOP primary in early March, could hint at an answer.
“OK, I was skeptical of her vote share earlier, but 117k Haley votes (and counting) is notable,” Bloomberg congressional reporter Jonathan Tamari, posted to X, formerly Twitter. The long-time former Philadelphia Inquirer reporter also noted: “PA was decided by 80k in 2020, and around 46k in 2016.”
Amy Walter, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report, added: “And PA is a closed primary state. Meaning, no independents or Democrats can vote in GOP primary. Questions for November. How many of these Haley voters are: 1) 2020 Biden voters; 2) 2020 Trump voters willing to switch/stay home?”
By Wednesday morning, Trump won by more than 83% compared to Haley’s 16.5% with 98% of the votes being counted. Biden, meanwhile, won 93% to nearly 7% going to Dean Phillips, who dropped out of the Democratic primary in early March.
But did Team Biden wake up Wednesday feeling great about their 2024 prospects?
If so, a new Morning Consult/Bloomberg poll of swing states poured cold water on any glee.
Not only is Trump up by 1 point in Pennsylvania, but he’s also up in five others: North Carolina +10, Nevada +8, Arizona +7, Georgia +6, and Wisconsin +4.
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Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MatthewArco.
