Joe Biden edges out Donald Trump in Republican Texas

Joe Biden is five points ahead of Donald Trump in a poll of the traditionally Republican state in sign it will be key battleground.

Donald Trump made his 16th visit to Texas on Wednesday as his Democratic rival Joe Biden edged ahead of him in the traditionally Republican state, amid growing signs that it will be a key battleground in the election.

Mr Trump was due to tour an oil rig and meet supporters to emphasise his pro-energy policies and his drive to scrap regulations that prioritise environmental targets over jobs.

Pollsters said that his ratings may have suffered because of the surge in coronavirus cases in what is America’s second-largest state, although new cases have been falling for two weeks since Greg Abbott, the Republican governor, made the wearing of face masks compulsory at the start of July.

A congressman who was due to accompany the president to Texas pulled out at the last minute after testing positive. Louie Gohmert, 66, who represents a poultry-producing region of Texas, was known in Congress for refusing to wear a mask.

Jimmy Carter was the last Democratic presidential candidate to win in Texas, in 1976, but there was a close senatorial race in 2018 and the victor, Ted Cruz, said that the state was now in play after close polls. Mr Biden, 77, was put 47 per cent to 45 per cent, in a ten-day moving average of daily polling by Morning Consult on Wednesday.

Mr Trump, 74, had a nine-point winning margin over Hillary Clinton in 2016. He will need Texas to balance out the influence of Democratic California if he is to retain the White House.

Mr Biden, by contrast, does not need Texas to win overall, but a scenario in which it is competitive on election night would signify a big swing to the Democrats.

A poll from the University of Texas at Tyler put Mr Biden five points ahead of Mr Trump two weeks ago. The president responded: “We’re many points up in Texas. Fake news. Phony polls.”

The Dallas Morning News, which sponsored the poll, said: “A raft of recent polls have found a dead heat. Trump returns to Texas for the 16th visit – an investment of time that would be out of proportion if Texas were as safely in his column as he professes.”

Bill Stepien, his campaign manager, insisted that Mr Biden had no chance. “I would invite the Biden campaign to play in Texas,” he said. “They should go after Texas really, really heavily. You know, spend a lot of money in the Houston and Dallas media markets.”

Morning Consult’s survey of battleground states found that Mr Biden had a clear lead in four states Mr Trump won in 2016: Arizona (seven points), Michigan (ten), Pennsylvania (seven) and Wisconsin (seven). He was also leading within the margin of polling error in Florida, Georgia and Texas; three other states where Mr Trump defeated Mrs Clinton.

As he left for Texas yesterday (Wednesday) Mr Trump defended using a coronavirus relief package to fund a new FBI headquarters in Washington, near one of his hotels.

Democrats, and some Republicans, suspect he wants to build the centre on the cramped site rather than use a new site in the suburbs to avoid the old building becoming a rival hotel.

Speculation continues over Mr Biden’s choice of running-mate: he was photographed in Delaware yesterday (Wednesday) with a note listing the attributes of Kamala Harris. One said: “talented”.

The Times