Vice President Kamala Harris now has a lead over former President Donald Trump in three crucial states, according to a new poll.
New findings by The New York Timessuggesting that Harris now has a four-point lead over Trump in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Of likely voters in each state, 50 percent said they were likely to vote for Harris, and 46 percent said they were likely to vote for Trump.
Based on the new numbers, Harris has wiped out the lead Trump built up in the states before President Joe Biden dramatically withdrew from the race.
Despite the apparent lead over Trump, the poll shows Harris vulnerable. Voters favor Trump on the economy and immigration, two central issues in the race for the White House.
New findings from The New York Times suggest Harris now leads Trump by four points in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Despite the apparent lead over Trump, the poll shows vulnerabilities for Harris, with voters favoring Trump on the economy and immigration
Harris is now in a stronger position than Biden was in May among a majority of demographic groups, including white voters without a college degree.
The poll found she is now doing better with black and young voters, segments of the electorate that had begun to erode under Biden, and she is retaining older voters.
On economics, Harris trails Trump by nine points, where he had an advantage.
Harris holds a 24-point lead on abortion, nearly double the lead Biden had in May of this year.
Forty-two percent of voters in the poll said Harris was too liberal, compared to 37 percent who said the same about Biden in the same states last October.
Trump’s campaign has portrayed Harris as a far-left politician who they say is out of touch with voters in swing states.
But the poll shows the campaign’s attack has not taken hold: Nearly two-thirds think Harris is more intelligent than the former president.
Among Democratic voters, satisfaction with their choice of candidate has increased dramatically since Harris ran, with satisfaction rising 27 points in swing states.
The poll found that Harris is now doing better with black and young voters, parts of the electorate that began to crumble under Biden, and that he is holding on to older voters.
The Trump campaign has portrayed Harris as a left-wing extremist who they say is out of touch with swing-state voters. Trump supporters are seen here at a rally in Montana on Friday
Retiree Lee Lanser of Holland, Michigan, normally votes Republican but is now considering voting for Harris in November.
Speaking to the Times, he said he may disagree with some Democratic policies, but he couldn’t stand Trump’s “disrespectful” and “unacceptable” attitude.
The 89-year-old told the newspaper: ‘I really like some aspects of her character, I’m not sure I agree with many of her policies.
“But the alternative is not acceptable to me at all, because character is everything.”
John Jordan, a Democratic voter in Croydon, Pennsylvania, said his friends and family were “more motivated” to support Harris than Biden.
He told the magazine: ‘I believe she is the best person to take this country forward.
“I’ll take it a step further and say that I’m very proud to be a part of this historic moment and that I hope that she will indeed be the first African-American/Asian woman to serve in the White House. I just think this is an exciting time and an exciting moment.”
Jonathan Ball, a flooring installer from Jackson, Michigan, said he thinks Trump would do more to help working Americans than Harris.
He told the outlet: “I think she’s more liberal. I just don’t think she’s completely center-line. I just see her as one-sided. You know, pro-rich.”
The new poll also revealed mixed feelings about Trump’s running mate, JD Vance.
A number of previous comments have continued to haunt the Ohio senator, including one that the country was being run by “childless cat ladies” like Harris.
In all three states, Vance is now viewed very unfavorably by independent voters.
A third said they were dissatisfied, while another 17 percent said they were ‘angry’ about the selection.
He received a lukewarm response from Republicans, with 43 percent saying they were enthusiastic about Vance as vice president, while 38 percent said they were satisfied but not enthusiastic.
Governor Tim Walz, who Harris presented as her pick for vice president, has received high marks from Democrats
A number of past comments have dogged the Ohio senator, including one that the country was being run by “childless cat ladies” like Harris
Meanwhile, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, whom Harris named as her vice presidential nominee, is getting higher marks.
In Pennsylvania, 48 percent of Democrats said they were enthusiastic about the nomination; the polls in Wisconsin and Michigan were conducted before his announcement.
Barbara Kampa, a Greendale, Wisconsin, woman who voted for Trump twice, strongly agreed with Vance’s choice as vice president.
She told the Times she was shocked when she first heard Vance was campaigning.
The 64-year-old said: ‘I thought, “Oh, holy crap. I don’t know how to say this nicely, but holy crap.”
“He needs to come together and tell him, ‘Well, this is how we do things so people will vote for us.’
“You can’t just go into the Wild West and start shooting. That scares people.”
Harris will debate Trump on ABC on September 10, marking the first direct confrontation between the rivals in what polls predict will be a close race.
Harris attends her and Governor Tim Walz’s presidential campaign rally in High Country, Wisconsin, United States on August 7, 2024
During a news conference at his home in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said he wanted additional debates on September 4 and 25, which would air on Fox and NBC.
Harris said in a message on X that she was looking forward to the debate on September 10, after Trump “finally declared his support.”
She told reporters after a campaign rally in the Detroit area that she was open to more debates, but a campaign aide reiterated their position that a Fox debate on Sept. 4 is off the table.
Harris’ campaign has already opposed a debate on Fox, arguing that the host network should be one that has sponsored the recent bipartisan primary debates.
Trump had previously indicated he might withdraw from the ABC debate, which was scheduled before Harris, the US vice president, replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee less than three weeks ago, upending the race.