LAS VEGAS (KLAS) -- President Joe Biden made up some ground on former President Donald Trump in the latest Nevada poll, but about 15% of the voters surveyed were still undecided. The poll also found that most people now think the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix is a good thing for Nevada and voters are split down the middle on the issue of teacher strikes.
With Election Day less than eight months away, Trump is still leading a matchup against Biden, 43.9% to 41.2%. Undecideds accounted for 14.9%. A Feb. 22 poll in Nevada showed Trump with a bigger lead over Biden, 46% to 40%.
Among Biden supporters in today's poll, 42% said they support him because they dislike Trump. On the other side, 20% of Trump's support comes from voters who would vote for him because they dislike Biden, and 25% of Trump's supporters back him because they like him.
The Emerson College Polling/KLAS-TV/The Hill Nevada survey released on Wednesday goes beyond politics into the issues that are on Nevadans' minds this election. The poll was conducted March 12-15 with a sample of 1,000 registered voters. The credibility interval -- similar to a margin of error -- was plus or minus 3 percentage points.
The most important issues to Nevada voters were:
- 29.6% -- Economy (jobs, inflation, taxes)
- 15.0% -- Immigration
- 12.1% -- Education
- 11.1% -- Housing affordability
- 10.3% -- Health care
- 8.1% -- Crime
- 7.5% -- Threats to Democracy
- 4.2% -- Abortion access
- 2.0% -- Something else
That's a change from the 2022 mid-term election, when Democrats rallied around the abortion rights issue to get people out to vote. Immigration -- typically a Republican priority -- has risen in importance. Also more prominent this year: housing affordabililty and threats to democracy. Concerns over water supply have disappeared.
Other issues asked about in the poll:
Do you think the government in Israel should negotiate a settlement with Hamas in which they are allowed to hold political offices if they agree to stop fighting, or do you think the government in Israel should continue to fight Hamas? Negotiate with Hamas: 32.8%. Continue fighting: 33.9%. Neutral or no opinion: 33.3%.
Do you think the Formula 1 race is generally a good thing or a bad thing for Nevada? Good thing: 57%. Bad thing: 43%.
Should teachers be able to go on strike? Yes: 50.7%. No: 49.3%
How concerned are you about crime? Very concerned: 48.5%. Somewhat concerned: 37.4%. Not too concerned: 10.9%. Not concerned at all: 3.1%.
How concerned are you about border security? Very concerned: 44.3%. Somewhat concerned: 21.8%. Not too concerned: 24.6%. Not at all concerned: 9.3%.
The poll also asked about the U.S. Senate race between Democratic incumbent Jacky Rosen and leading Republican challenger Sam Brown. It's a very close race, with Rosen at 40.6%, Brown at 39.0% and more than 20% of voters still undecided. Matchups between Rosen and Republicans Jeff Gunter or Jim Marchant showed wider margins that favored Rosen.
And a number of questions went deeper into the presidential race, including a question about the U.S. Capitol protest. Which statement comes closer to your view? After what happened on January 6, 2020, Donald Trump deserves another chance to run for president: 47.4%. After what happened on January 6, 2020, Donald Trump does not deserve another chance to run for president: 52.6%.
Biden's weak support showed in a question about whether he deserved to be re-elected, with 39% of voters saying yes and 61.0% saying no.
"Nevada Hispanic voters support Biden over Trump, 44% to 39%, while white voters break for Trump over Biden, 50% to 39%," Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, noted.
When third-party candidates are added to the ballot, Trump's margin of support widens: Trump: 41.0%. Biden: 36.0%. Robert Kennedy Jr.: 8.8%. Cornel West: 2.0%, Jill Stein: 1.1%.
Taking into account the candidate that undecided voters "were leaning toward," Trump’s overall
support increased to 51%, and Biden to 49%.
The sample skewed slightly toward Democratic voters (32%). Republicans (29%) were in the minority, and most voters surveyed said they were Independent or other (39%).