Joe Biden and Donald Trump are in a statistical tie in Texas, according to a new poll.
A Quinnipiac University survey released Wednesday showed Biden up one point on the president, 45-44. It’s a slight improvement for Biden from a June poll done by Quinnipiac in the state, which found Trump up 44-43.
The survey is one of several from the past few months that show Texas is a presidential battleground for the first time in recent memory.
"With crises swirling through American society and a country deeply divided, there's no other way to slice it. It's a tossup in Texas," said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy.
Independents are flocking to Biden in Texas, the poll finds, with the former vice president up 51-32. Biden has the backing of 94 percent of Democrats in the state while Trump has support of 89 percent of Republicans in Texas.
The economy is the only issue which Texas voters believe Trump would do a better job of handling than Biden. The two are tied on health care and handling a crisis, while Biden wins on response to COVID-19 and addressing racial inequality.
Quinnipiac surveyed 880 self-identified registered voters in Texas from July 16 - 20 with a margin of error of (+/-) 3.3 percentage points.