In a recent national poll released, Vice President Kamala Harris has managed to narrowly surpass former President Donald Trump, following President Joe Biden’s exit from the 2024 presidential race.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll, conducted shortly after Biden’s announcement on Sunday that he would withdraw from the race and endorse Harris, shows Harris leading Trump by a slim margin of 44 per cent to 42 per cent. Last week, the poll had shown Harris and Trump in a deadlock at 44 per cent each.
Harris, 59, who is now the clear front-runner for the Democratic nomination, is receiving significant endorsements, donations, and pledged delegates. Despite this, she remains slightly behind Trump in another survey released the same day.
Both polls fall within the margin of error. They follow the Republican National Convention, where Trump formally accepted his party’s nomination, and Biden’s departure from the race.
Harris’s performance reflects the Democratic electorate’s enthusiasm following the shakeup in the race, seemingly counteracting the typical boost a nominee receives from their party’s convention.
In a PBS News/NPR/Marist poll conducted on Monday, Trump is slightly ahead with 46 per cent to Harris’s 45 per cent among registered voters, with 9 per cent undecided. When third-party candidates and independents are included, Trump and Harris are tied at 42 per cent, with other candidates trailing significantly.
The PBS News survey also revealed that 87 per cent of Americans believe Biden’s decision to withdraw was correct, a sentiment shared across party lines and age groups. A plurality of 41 per cent believe Biden’s exit enhances the Democrats’ chances in the November election, compared to 24 per cent who think it diminishes them and 34 per cent who see no impact.
These polls come in the wake of Trump surviving an assassination attempt during a rally in Pennsylvania on July 13. According to an average of polls compiled by RealClearPolitics, Trump currently holds a narrow lead of 1.6 percentage points over Harris.
