PBS: Biden Wins Nomination; Gains on Trump

Former VP Joe Biden wears protective face mask during visit to meet
with black community leaders at the Bethel AME Church in
 Wilmington,  Delaware, June 1, 2020 | Jim Bourg/Reuters

As Joe Biden passed the 1,991 delegates needed to become the Democratic nominee after the wave of June 2 primaries, he took advantage of a couple days of positive media attention. But, the news of George Floyd’s death (May 25) and the ensuing demonstrations have dominated the media and national conversation.

A PBS segment on Biden’s pending win was authored on June 1 by Dan Bush, PBS’s senior political reporter. My quote was:

“After June 2, or whenever he crosses that threshold, it’s going to give Biden an opportunity” to bring attention to the 2020 presidential election at a time when most voters have been focused on the public health crisis and ensuing economic fallout, said Floyd Ciruli, a nonpartisan pollster based in Colorado.

Fortunately for Biden, the last two weeks have provided a major boost for his campaign as the President’s support has sagged under his underperformance in the COVID-19 crisis, the economic insecurity, and now, the missteps relating to the justice movement.

The spread between Donald Trump and Biden in the head-to-head test is now 8 points, up from 6 in the last month.