Vice President Kamala Harris has expanded her lead against former President Donald Trump in recent polls following their debate on Tuesday. Harris leads Trump by five points in new surveys, including a Morning Consult poll where she leads 50% to 45% and a Reuters/Ipsos poll where she leads 47% to 42%. Pre-debate surveys suggested Harris’ polling momentum was plateauing, but these new surveys show her increasing her lead over Trump.
Despite a slight dip in lead in some polls, such as an Emerson College survey where Harris leads by two points and a Wall Street Journal poll where she leads by one point, Harris maintains a consistent advantage over Trump in most polls. She had previously led by a larger margin in polls like Ipsos/ABC News, Outward Intelligence, and Quinnipiac. Surveys have indicated a shift in favor of Democrats since Harris entered the race, with her lead remaining steady since the Democratic National Convention.
The first debate between Harris and Trump, hosted by ABC News, saw Harris widely considered as the winner by pundits, including former Fox News anchor Chris Wallace and NBC News presidential historian Michael Beschloss. The majority of voters also perceived Harris as the winner, with 53% saying she won compared to 24% for Trump. Democratic enthusiasm has nearly doubled since Harris entered the race, according to a Monmouth University poll, while Republicans remain stagnant in their enthusiasm.
Harris leads Trump in battleground states by two points overall, with leads in six out of seven states and a tie in Arizona, according to a Bloomberg/Morning Consult survey. Trump campaign pollster Tony Fabrizio predicted a temporary bump in polls for Harris following her entrance into the race, referring to it as a “Harris Honeymoon.” Biden’s endorsement of Harris and her subsequent nomination at the Democratic convention have unified the party around her candidacy, with a virtual roll call of 99% of Democratic delegates supporting her.
Overall, Harris holds a 1.5-point lead over Trump in RealClearPolitics’ polling average and a 2.8-point lead in FiveThirtyEight’s weighted average. Despite some fluctuations in certain polls, Harris maintains a consistent edge over Trump in most surveys. As the election approaches, Harris continues to solidify her lead and Democratic enthusiasm for her candidacy remains strong.
