Former President Donald Trump has managed to tie Vice President Kamala Harris among likely voters just weeks before the upcoming election, according to a new poll by Yahoo News/YouGov. This is a significant shift from the previous month when Harris had a four-point lead over Trump. The survey was conducted following a vice presidential debate between Sen. JD Vance and Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, where Vance was perceived as the winner by a plurality of viewers.
Despite criticisms of being “weird,” both VP contenders received similar scores on that front. Walz had originally introduced the “weird” attack on Vance shortly after he was selected to be Harris’ running mate. Despite some controversial claims by Walz, more Americans perceived Vance as untruthful compared to the Democrat. In a five-way ballot test including other candidates, Harris held a narrow lead over Trump in the popular vote.
According to the Yahoo News/YouGov survey, Trump is leading Harris on key issues such as the cost of living, crime, immigration, and the conflict in the Middle East, while Harris has the edge on abortion and democracy. However, American voters have a mixed view on the direction of the country, with a majority believing it is on the wrong track. While Harris has a slight edge over Trump in favorability ratings, her job approval rating is underwater, while Trump’s approval rating is more evenly split.
The survey sampled over 1,700 US adults in early October and had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2.9 percentage points. Despite Harris currently leading Trump by an average of 2.1% in the national popular vote, the RealClearPolitics aggregate of head-to-head polling shows a tight race. The map of battleground states indicates a potential path to victory for Trump, with him potentially flipping key states like Arizona, Georgia, and Pennsylvania to secure 281 electoral votes and potentially win the presidency.
With less than a month before Election Day, the race between Trump and Harris appears to be tightening. While Harris had initially held a lead over Trump among likely voters, recent polling suggests that the two are now tied. The survey also indicates that Trump is leading Harris on several key issues, although Harris has the advantage on others. The direction of the country is a concern for many Americans, with a majority feeling that it is on the wrong track.
Despite the mixed views on the candidates, the polling data suggests a close race between Trump and Harris. Harris currently leads Trump in the national popular vote, but the battleground states could play a crucial role in determining the outcome of the election. With Trump potentially flipping key states and securing enough electoral votes to win, the race remains unpredictable. The upcoming weeks leading to Election Day will be crucial in determining the next president of the United States.
