TEHRAN, Oct. 04 (MNA) – Democratic nominee Joe Biden leads US President Donald Trump by sizable margins among voters in Pennsylvania and Florida following Tuesday night’s combative presidential debate.

According to a New York Times-Siena College poll published Saturday, the survey found that Biden leads Trump in Pennsylvania by 7 percentage points, garnering 49 percent support among respondents in the state, compared to Trump’s 42 percent, the Hill reported.

Biden leads Trump in Florida by a slightly smaller margin, 47 percent support to 42 percent.  

Survey interviews began Wednesday prior to the announcement early Friday morning that the president and Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19.

There was a modest shift in favor of Biden during survey interviews conducted on Friday following the news of Trump’s diagnosis, according to the Times. 

The races in the two battleground states, both of which Trump won narrowly in the 2016 election, had been particularly close prior to Tuesday’s debate, although an ABC-Washington Post poll released Tuesday showed Biden ahead by 9 percentage points in Pennsylvania. 

ZZ/PR