In one of the first nationwide presidential surveys since US President Joe Biden halted his reelection campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris is currently defeating adversary Donald Trump.
The Reuters/Ipsos survey puts Harris ahead of Trump by two points, 44 percent to 42 percent.
It took place in the two days following Biden’s announcement on Sunday that he was withdrawing from the campaign and supporting his vice president.
Harris,59, and Trump, who is now the more experienced candidate in the race at 78, were tied at 44% in the poll from the previous week.
In another study issued on Tuesday, Harris, the overwhelming favourite for the Democratic nomination and recipient of pledged delegates, endorsements, and cash, trails Republican front-runner Trump by a tiny margin.
The margin of error for the polls is present in both findings. The latest polls were conducted after Biden withdrew from the race and Trump formally accepted the party’s presidential candidacy at the Republican National Convention.
Harris’s success in the polls appears to be counteracting the boost a nominee receives in the days after their party’s nominating convention.
According to a poll released on Monday by PBS News, NPR, and Marist, Trump leads Harris 46 percent to 45 percent of US registered voters, with nine percent remaining undecided.
When independents and third-party candidates are taken into account, Trump and Harris are tied at 42% of the vote, with the other candidates trailing significantly.
Notably, 87 percent of all Americans—a position that cut across party and generational boundaries believed that Biden made the correct decision in dropping out, according to the PBS News study.
The majority of respondents (41%) believed that Biden’s choice improves the Democrats’ prospects of winning in November, while 24% believed the opposite and 34% thought it has no bearing.
Both surveys came after Trump survived a shocking murder attempt at a Pennsylvania rally on July 13.
In Essence
Harris being the likely Democratic nominee gives her a strong platform to articulate her vision and policies. Her ability to maintain or increase her lead over Trump will depend on how effectively she can communicate her message and appeal to a broad coalition of voters, including independents and moderates.
