Joe Biden Holds Slim Lead Over Donald Trump In Traditionally Red State, Poll Shows

Democratic nominee Joe Biden has a 1-point lead over Republican President Donald Trump in traditionally red Texas, according to a poll released by the left-leaning Public Policy Polling. The survey shows Biden at 48% support and Trump at 47%.

The poll, conducted Aug. 21-22, follows last week's Democratic National Convention. The survey has a 3.6 percentage-point margin of error.

Texas, which has 38 electoral votes, is a must-win for the Trump campaign. If Biden manages to pull off an upset in the state, it would be almost certain that he exceeds the 270 electoral votes needed to capture the White House.

"I think what this data shows today is certainly that Texas is a much more competitive race than the Trump campaign wants it to be," Cameron Easley, a senior editor at Morning Consult, told Houston Public Media, after an earlier poll also showed Biden with a slim lead.

There is still skepticism that Biden can pull off an Texas-sized upset.

"It’s just not going to happen. Everyone knows that. I don’t know why people are still even talking about it," a Biden adviser told the Washington Post in late July.

In 2016, Trump defeated Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton by a 9-point margin in Texas, 52%-43%. The last time a Democrat won Texas was in 1976, when Democrat Jimmy Carter defeated Republican incumbent Gerald Ford.

The Texas poll is the latest positive sign for Biden in traditionally red states.

A poll of North Carolina released by Morning Consult on Monday showed Biden with a 3-point lead over Trump, 49%-46%. Recent polls have also shown Biden with slim leads in Georgia and Arizona. The three states have a combined 42 electoral votes.

Biden continues to hold a strong lead nationally over Trump. A Yahoo News/YouGov poll released Tuesday showed Biden leading Trump nationwide, 50% to 39%.