Cartoon by Clay Bennett

Biden leads in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania — Battleground Tracker poll

CBS News: Late on election night 2016, it was Wisconsin and Pennsylvania that put Donald Trump over the top and into the White House, thanks to late-deciding voters who went his way, and big margins among people who wanted change.

Today, the vast majority of voters in these two states say things in the U.S. are going badly. They think Joe Biden would do a better job of handling coronavirus by significant margins, washing out any edge Mr. Trump has on the economy. And looking back now, relatively few voters in these states say the Trump presidency has been going as they expected — more say it's gone worse than gone better.

And so Biden leads both Pennsylvania and Wisconsin today by six points in each. He's cutting into Mr. Trump's margins with the White, non-college voters who've been a key part of the Trump base. He's leading among independents — a group that went for Mr. Trump last time — and even peeling off a few Republicans who think things in the U.S. aren't going well.

But voters in these states have changed their minds before, and the outcome is anything but certain. For one, Biden's forthcoming vice presidential pick has the potential to move things, as nearly half of his voters say it's important to them.

The president gets negative marks for handling the coronavirus outbreak in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, as in the other battleground states we've polled so far. While most parents in each think schools should not fully reopen, most don't think the president is doing all he can to fight the outbreak.

Biden leads on being seen as better able to handle the virus.

Two-thirds dislike how the president handles himself personally, and he's losing them by more than four to one.

And Biden is seen by more as understanding of their needs and concerns.

Among both candidates' supporters, most say their support is very strong, and they express enthusiasm about voting this year. Those who didn't vote in 2016 are more likely to now support Biden than Mr. Trump. Each state's race would be closer without these new voters.