Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump speak at campaign rallies in Atlanta. — AP Photos
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris continues to rise in the polls.
“Some polls show Harris performing better than President Joe Biden in battleground states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, though most still suggest a tight race,” reports the Associated Press.
Harris is ahead of Trump by 4 percentage points in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, 50 percent to 46 percent among likely voters in each state, according to recent surveys by the New York Times and Siena College.
The surveys, which were conducted Aug. 5-9, are the latest indication of a dramatic reversal for Democrats after Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race.
Favorable views of Harris have risen this summer, according to a new poll.
About half of U.S. adults—48 percent— have a very or somewhat favorable view of Harris, compared with 41 percent of adults who say they have a favorable opinion of Trump, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
It would not be surprising if Harris’s numbers were to receive a bump up after the Democratic National Convention this week in Chicago.
However, while Harris’ poll numbers appear to be rising now, they could change as the Democratic nominee faces greater scrutiny from the media and as she faces a barrage of negative advertising from the Trump campaign.
That’s why Harris is smart to remind voters that she is the underdog in the race and for supporters to keep working hard so they won’t become complacent by polls showing her in the lead. Democratic voters should also not become discouraged if future polls show her numbers slipping.
In October 2016, one poll showed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton leading Trump among likely voters by 14 points nationally. The billionaire businessman shocked America and the world, defeating Clinton and defying the polls.
In 2022, pollsters falsely predicted a “red wave” before the midterms turned out to be more of a red trickle. Democrats did better than history and pollsters would have predicted.
The 2024 presidential race is likely to be close, with the election outcome determined by voter turnout.
Smart politicians dismiss the importance of opinion polls and highlight the importance of polling day because in the end, “The only poll that counts is on Election Day.”
(Reprinted from the Philadelphia Tribune)
About Post Author
