Kamala Harris Surges Ahead of Trump in Latest Poll, Gains Strong Support from Key Voter Blocs
In a significant development, Democrat Kamala Harris has widened her lead over Republican Donald Trump in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll. The survey, conducted in the eight days leading up to Wednesday, shows Harris garnering 45% support among registered voters compared to Trump’s 41%, a 4-percentage point advantage.
This lead is wider than the 1-point advantage Harris held over Trump in late July, indicating a surge in enthusiasm among Democratic voters. The poll, which has a 2-percentage point margin of error, reveals that Harris has gained substantial support from women and Hispanic voters.
Harris leads Trump by a whopping 13 percentage points among both women voters (49% to 36%) and Hispanic voters (49% to 36%). This represents a significant increase from July, when Harris had a 9-point lead among women and a 6-point lead among Hispanics in Reuters/Ipsos polls.
While Trump maintains leads among white voters and men, his advantage among voters without a college degree has narrowed from 14 points in July to 7 points in the latest survey. These findings underscore the shifting dynamics of the presidential race, which has been shaken up over the summer.
The poll results come after President Joe Biden, facing widespread calls from fellow Democrats to abandon his re-election bid, folded his campaign on July 21 following a disastrous debate performance against Trump. Since then, Harris has gained ground against Trump in both national and critical swing state polls.
In the seven states where the 2020 election was closest – Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina, Michigan and Nevada – Trump holds a narrow 45% to 43% lead over Harris among registered voters. However, a separate Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll shows Harris either leading or tied with Trump in each of those battleground states.
The enthusiasm for Harris is palpable, with 73% of Democratic registered voters in the Reuters/Ipsos poll expressing increased excitement about voting in November after her entry into the race. Additionally, 52% of Harris voters are supporting her as a candidate, rather than primarily opposing Trump, a significant shift from March when 61% of Biden supporters were voting to stop Trump.
“We see it in this poll that people are more motivated about the future than the past,” said Aimee Allison, founder of She the People, a liberal group focused on increasing the representation of women of color in elected office. “They see Kamala Harris as the future, and Republicans see this election as just about Trump”.
While Trump maintains an advantage on economic issues, Harris has gained ground on key topics like abortion policy, where she holds a 47% to 31% advantage. The issue has taken on added significance after the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn the national right to abortion.
As the campaign season heats up, the enthusiasm and support for Harris, particularly among women and Hispanic voters, could prove pivotal in shaping the outcome of the 2024 presidential election. The coming months will be crucial in determining whether Harris can sustain this momentum and translate it into a decisive victory.
