CNN political director David Chalian on Friday laid out President Joe Biden's tough electoral map and said the president will have to “quietly push back” on some states if he wants to win.
Recent polls show former President Donald Trump currently leading Biden in several key battleground states. CNN/SSRS Trump leads Biden by 10 points among registered voters in Michigan, and by 5 points in Georgia. Voters in both states gave Biden low approval ratings on issues such as his work performance, policies, and mental strength.
Trump won both states in 2016, but lost to Biden by a narrow margin.
Charian painted a bleak picture for Biden, arguing that the president would need to “push back” in some states where Trump currently leads in order to win.
“I want to remind people where the road to 270 was interrupted, with Joe Biden winning 2020 with 306 electoral votes to Donald Trump's 232, but today… If you look at the state breakdown in the electoral college projections, what you see here is Donald Trump. Trump is solidly solidifying his support, or based on 272 states that are leaning in Trump's direction. Joe Biden's electors are down to 225, with blue states leaning solidly in his direction in dark blue, or light blue states leaning firmly in his direction. “The yellow states are now the real battleground in this race,” Charian said.
“I think this shows three things. One is that this presidential election is going to be very close again. Joe Biden was on the 2020 electoral map at the beginning of the year. Donald Trump is certainly pushing hard to return to the White House as the likely Republican nominee, as he struggles to rebuild his winning coalition. (Related: 'Great Map': Here's how Republicans will regain control of the Senate in 2024)
“Pretty much whatever happens, it's going to be seven, six, seven states. Trump will definitely win. What changes in this current snapshot?” Host Phil Mattingly asked.
“Right now, there are states that clearly Joe Biden won and are now leaning in Donald Trump's direction. So imagine here in Michigan, we rate as Republican-leaning at this point. , this is based on polling and reporting and conversations with people in the state, but if it goes back to a normal kind of toss-up situation, you'd think Donald Trump would be below 270 and 257. It's easy to see. Imagine if the same thing happened in Georgia, which Biden won last time, and Nevada, which is now leaning toward Trump but Biden won last time. And it's 225-235. “You can see that the battlefield is here, Phil,” Charian said.
“So while it's not impossible to imagine Joe Biden returning some of the states he won last time to more competitive territory at this point, he's winning in every state we rated as a toss-up. We need to win and actually bounce back.''It's at least one state that is leaning in Trump's direction, which he won in 2020. ”
“Well, it’s going to be a bumpy road ahead, but it’s definitely there,” Mattingly said.
Morning Consultation/Bloomberg investigation Recent announcements show President Trump leading in Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada and North Carolina.
