Harris erases Trump’s lead in battleground states
By
Mabinty Quarshie
August 14, 2024 10:56 am
.
Vice President Kamala Harris effectively erased former President Donald Trump‘s polling lead among the majority of the seven battleground states that will decide the November election.
New polling from the Cook Political Report’s Swing State Project survey, conducted by BSG and GS Strategy Group and released on Wednesday, showed Harris either tied with or beating Trump in all battlegrounds excluding Nevada. Overall, the vice president leads Trump, 48% to 47%, in a head-to-head matchup.
“Harris’s success in closing the gap is driven by her consolidation of the Democratic base, and increased support among independent voters,” Amy Walter wrote in her analysis.
Trump led President Joe Biden by 3 points in a head-to-head matchup and was ahead of or tied with him in every battleground state when the last Swing State Project survey was released in May. In Nevada, Trump beats Harris, 48% to 45%, but in May, he led Biden by 9 percentage points.
Harris leads Trump by 2 points in Arizona at 48% to 46%, 3 points in Michigan at 49% to 46%, 3 points in Wisconsin at 49% to 46%, 1 point in North Carolina at 48% to 47%, and 1 point in Pennsylvania at 49% to 48%. In Georgia, the two candidates are tied at 48%.
Democratic excitement after Biden suspended his presidential campaign has greatly benefited Harris in fundraising and polling. With Biden atop the ticket in May, 82% of Democrats, who voted for Biden in 2020, were willing to vote for him, with the rest choosing to support Trump or a third-party candidate or were undecided. With Harris leading the ticket, 91% of Biden 2020 Democrats said they would vote for her, with the rest opting for Trump or a third party or were undecided.
Trump, however, has the advantage on policy issues, including the border and immigration, in which he leads Harris by 14 points. During a live interview on Monday with Elon Musk, the owner of X, Trump took several shots at Harris’s legacy of curbing the migrant crisis at the southern border.
“I saw an ad just before I got on the air. I’m walking over here, and I saw an ad by Kamala saying how she is going to provide border security,” Trump said, referring to a recent ad put out by Harris’s campaign. “Where has she been for 3 1/2 years? For 3 1/2 years?
The former president also has a 6-point advantage over Harris on getting inflation and the cost of living under control and a 4-point advantage over Harris on dealing with crime and violence.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/presidential/3120953/harris-erases-trump-lead-battleground-states/
