Trump's law and order pivot appears to have succeeded with 'a big catch,' poll suggests

President Trump's Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, maintains a lead in Wisconsin, plus Trump's three most likely pick-up opportunities — Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Nevada — a New York Times/Siena College poll shows. Biden was able to stay on top, the Times' Nate Cohn notes, despite the Trump campaign's renewed focus on law and order amid the sometimes-violent nationwide protests against police brutality that have taken place throughout the summer.

Cohn says that voters in the four swing states are now split on whether the protests or the coronavirus pandemic are more important factors in determining their vote, and that Biden's response to the demonstrations is lacking, which suggests Trump's attacks on his competitor are registering.

But Trump and Biden are still neck-and-neck when it comes to who voters trust more on law and order. Cohn writes that's probably because even if voters want more from Biden they think he's got the edge on race relations, protest handling, and unifying the country, while Trump is viewed as more likely to encourage violence.

The New York Times/Siena College poll was conducted between Sept. 8-11 via telephone. In Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, and Wisconsin, 814, 445, 462, and 760 voters were surveyed, respectively. The margins of error were 3.9, 5.5, 5.3, and 4.7 percentage points, respectively. Read more at The New York Times.