Wisconsin Democrats unphased by Trump's lead in polls
MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- After a new poll showed President Joe Biden trailing Republican frontrunner Donald Trump in five out of six battleground states, Wisconsin Democrats are not sounding the alarm despite other politicos suggesting he may want to reconsider his reelection bid.
Newpolling shows Biden is losing five out of six battleground states that helped carry him in 2020.
Former President Donald Trump leads Biden by 10 points in Nevada, six points in Georgia, five points in Arizona and Michigan, and four points in Pennsylvania, according to the New York Times and Siena College poll.
In the results, Biden only defeated Trump in one swing state by two points -- Wisconsin.
So how did Wisconsin stand out from the pack?
Ben Wikler, chairman of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, believes it's because hotly contested issues have been more prominent in Wisconsin following the state Supreme Court race, a contest that gave liberals a 4-3 majority on the court for the first time in 15 years.
"We are a state where Democrats and the MAGA Republicans have been in the fight," Wikler said. "Unlike other battleground states, we had a massive statewide election earlier this year for Supreme Court, and over the last couple months we've had an effort to try and prevent the court from doing its job on protecting democracy with fair maps and abortion rights."
Janet Protasiewicz defeated her GOP opponent by 11 points to become the newest justice on Wisconsin's Supreme Court. Protasiewicz heavily focused her campaign on abortion rights and drawing new legislative maps, two issues the court will rule on in the coming months.
Trump also has an edge on a leading issue, the economy. A new CBS poll found 45% of voters believe they will be better off financially if Trump wins, while 48% say they'll be financially worse under Biden's policies if he's reelected.
It comes as voters are not too enthusiastic about the direction of the country. The poll also found 74% say things are going badly in America. That's up from 65% from the beginning of the year.
Democratic strategist Joe Zepecki downplayed the results and said a lot can change over the next year.
"As the campaign shapes up and people see what has become of Donald Trump, the fact that he has become more unhinged and less reasonable sounding, I have no doubt that Joe Biden is going to look a lot better by comparison," Zepecki said.
Republicans, on the other hand, say the results should be a wake-up call for Democrats and the Biden administration that's already spent millions on ads touting his economic agenda.
Bill McCoshen, a Republican strategist, and former aide to Governor Tommy Thompson, said what's even more troubling is that some Democrats have recently suggested that Biden should reconsider running for reelection.
David Axelrod, who served as a senior adviser to former President Barack Obama,tweeted that Biden may want to rethink things after the NYT poll was released. It comes as there's been renewed debate over whether he should step aside for a younger nominee.
"Voters are not happy and that generally hurts the incumbent," McCoshen said. "One year is plenty of time to right the ship, but there are dark clouds for Biden and his team to overcome if he is, in fact, the Democratic nominee."
Trump, 77, has argued in interviews that Biden, 80, isn't too old to serve. Still, most of Biden's supporters don't like the fact there could be a rematch between the two, according to the CBS poll. Most say they're nervous and frustrated, while Trump supporters are hopeful and motivated.
Matt Fisher, a spokesman for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said "Wisconsin voters are tired" and "trust the GOP to restore common sense to Washington."