Does a criminal conviction shift voter support in a presidential race?
Core argument: In re-interviews with nearly 2,000 prior New York Times/Siena College respondents, Trump's lead narrowed from three points in April and May to one point, following his conviction for falsifying business records.
In interviews with nearly 2,000 voters who previously took New York Times/Siena College surveys, Biden appeared to gain slightly in the aftermath of Trump’s conviction last week for falsifying business records. The group favored Trump by three points when originally interviewed in April and May, but this week they backed him by only one point. The shift was especially pronounced among the young, nonwhite, and disengaged Democratic-leaning voters who have propelled Mr. Trump to a lead in the early polls. Of the people who previously told us they had voted for Mr. Biden in 2020 but would vote for Mr. Trump in 2024, around one-quarter now said they would instead stick with Mr. Biden.

