US Vice President Kamala Harris, who is poised to replace Joe Biden as the Democratic Party’s nominee for the upcoming November 5 presidential election, has significantly closed the gap against Donald Trump, according to recent polls. Support for Harris has notably increased among non-white voters and within her party.
Poll Insights
A private news outlet reported that the latest poll reveals a tight race between Harris and Trump, with Harris at 49% and Trump at 47% in a two-person contest. This result falls within the margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
Polling Shifts
Earlier this month, Trump held a six-point lead over Biden before Biden exited the race. However, a private news outlet’s poll conducted between July 22-24 among 1,142 voters nationwide shows Trump leading Harris by a narrow margin of 48% to 47% among likely voters.
This shift marks a significant improvement for the Democrats, as Biden was previously trailing by six percentage points. Furthermore, Trump currently holds a 48% to 46% lead over Harris among registered voters, a decrease from his previous nine-point lead over Biden.
Harris’ recent gains can be attributed to increased support from key segments of the Democratic coalition that had previously been disenchanted with Biden. Harris is now expected to secure 69% of the Black registered voter demographic, up from Biden’s 59%. Additionally, she has boosted the party’s share of Hispanic voters from 45% to 57% and voters under 30 from 46% to 56%.
Overall Polling Trends
According to a private news outlet, an unweighted average of polls conducted after Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race shows Harris trailing Trump by 1.6 percentage points.
Official Candidacy Declaration
On Saturday, Harris officially declared her candidacy for President of the United States, signing the necessary forms and expressing her determination to win. “I will work hard to earn every vote. And in November, our people-powered campaign will win,” she wrote on X.
This announcement followed US President Joe Biden’s declaration on July 21 that he would not be seeking re-election, endorsing Harris as the Democratic nominee. Harris has also received endorsements from former US President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama.
With the backing of a majority of Democratic delegates, Harris appears set to become the official nominee at the party convention next month.
