Businessman and TV personality Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016 by solidifying a base in the GOP primary and then beating Hillary Clinton in rust belt battleground states to win the Electoral College. Former Vice President Joe Biden appeared to be headed for an early out in the 2020 Democratic Primary before reviving with a win in South Carolina, which catapulted him to the nomination.

Now, according to this morning’s Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll, Trump and Biden are locked in a tie (in Iowa) just six weeks to Election Day.

“Forty-seven percent of likely voters say they would support Trump for president, and 47% say they would support Biden. Another 4% would vote for someone else and 3% are unsure.

“A stark gender divide appears to be driving the race as men of nearly every demographic cast their support for Trump, a Republican, and women do the same for Biden, a Democrat.”

The death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg has the GOP scrambling to replace her prior to a possible transfer of power as a consequence of the Nov. 3rd election, even as Biden and the Democrats – including New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy – argue for the choice and process to occur after the scheduled collision.

It’s the latest wrinkle in an ongoing national political fracas intensified by COVID-19 combating vote-by-mail precautions in which Biden routinely condemns Trump’s nativism, appeal to hatred and lack of responsiveness to COVID-19, while the president decries his slowed challenger, solidifies his base and heralds the economy.

With an eye to voters in those same battleground states – several of which dogged Clinton and handed Trump the win – the two men stand poised for their first of three debates, which is scheduled for Sept. 29th.

Here’s the InsiderNJ question: