Keller @ Large: New Hampshire Poll Bad News For President Trump

BOSTON (CBS) - A new poll shows Joe Biden surging to his biggest lead yet in New Hampshire, a state the Trump campaign hoped to win after losing narrowly four years ago.

The Suffolk University/Boston Globe survey finds Biden with 51% to Trump's 41%. And it contains lots of bad news for the president in a state where - in theory – he should have a decent chance of winning.

New Hampshire has minimized the impact of both the pandemic and the resulting economic collapse, and that has left voters feeling pretty good about the status quo, with incumbent Governor Chris Sununu and Senator Jeanne Shaheen both leading by wide margins.

Asked if they feel better off now than they were four years ago, New Hampshire voters say yes by a landslide, 53% to 29%, a result that should favor President Trump.

But apparently it's not helping him. Why?

Some of the same reasons we're seeing in other states, including strong disapproval of his pandemic management. But this poll had one especially intriguing finding.

Asked what they think is the most important issue facing the next president, voters cited jobs and the economy (24%) and dealing with COVID-19 (19%).

But look at what's tied for second with COVID – bringing the country together (19%). That was the number two issue for conservatives and Republicans and the number one issue for the crucial independent vote.

This shows how significant numbers of New Hampshire voters are sick of division and acrimony and want it to stop, a desire echoed by Biden but the opposite of the Trump campaign message. And it appears to be helping turn the vote in New Hampshire into a rout.