Harris gains edge on Trump in polls following DNC
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Vice President Kamala Harris campaigns in Savannah, Ga. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images; Former President Trump campaigns in La Crosse, Wis. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images
Vice President Kamala Harris is finishing the month with a narrow lead over former President Trump in the race for the White House, three new polls show.
Why it matters: Harris' edge over Trump is a stark reversal for Democrats after President Biden continually lagged in the polls before dropping out of the race and endorsing his vice president.
State of play: Three polls published Thursday quantify the momentum of the Harris campaign with her slim edge over Trump.
- They show Harris has gained support in battleground states.
- She's also been performing better among voters who were disillusioned with President Biden.
In a Wall Street Journal poll, Harris has the support of 48% of respondents and Trump has 47%.
- She led by 2 points, 47% to 45%, on a ballot with independent and third-party candidates.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll found Harris leading Trump 45% to 41%.
- The 4 percentage point advantage was an improvement for Harris from the 1-point lead she had in late July.
A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll in battleground states showed her leading by 2 percentage points.
- Voters saw her as more trustworthy to protect personal freedoms.
Between the lines: Harris' support increased among women and Hispanic voters in the Reuters/Ipsos poll.
- Harris has the support of 83% of Black voters, per WSJ. While that is higher than Biden who had support from 68% of Black voters, it's still lower than the 91% who elected him in 2020.
Zoom out: With nine weeks left until the election, both candidates are making their pitches to voters in a series of interviews.
- Harris defended the Biden administration's economic record in her first formal television interview Thursday night alongside running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
- Trump said on Thursday that insurance or the government would cover IVF treatment if he were president but offered no details on how payment for the treatment would work.
Go deeper: The 2024 election’s most competitive battleground states
Methodology:
- The Wall Street Journal poll surveyed 1,500 registered voters Aug. 24–28 by cellphone and landline phone, with some respondents offered the survey via text-to-web. The margin of error for the full sample is ±2.5 percentage points.
- The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted nationally and gathered responses from 4,253 U.S. adults, including 3,562 registered voters. The margin of error is ±2 percentage points.
- The Bloomberg/Morning Consult poll surveyed 4,962 registered voters in seven swing states. The margin of error is ±1 percentage point across the seven states.
