Photo credit: Los Angeles Times
US Vice President Kamala Harris has opened up with a marginal two per cent lead Republican candidate, former president Donald Trump.
A poll by Reuters/Ipsos has found that it compares with a marginal two-point deficit Biden faced against Trump in last week’s poll before his exit from the race. The new survey followed the Republican National Convention, where Trump formally accepted the nomination on Thursday and Biden’s announcement on Sunday that he was leaving the race to endorse Harris.
Harris’ campaign says she has secured the Democratic nomination. In the national poll, she led Trump 44% to 42%.
Nationwide surveys give necessary signals of American support for political candidates.
However, a handful of competitive states typically tilt the US Electoral College balance, deciding who wins a presidential election. An analyst with Trump’s campaign dismissed any polling showing an increase in Harris’ support, arguing that she was likely to see a temporary in popularity because of widespread media coverage of her new candidacy.
About 56% of registered voters agreed with a statement that Harris, 59, was “mentally sharp and able to deal with challenges” compared to 49% who said the same of Trump.
Harris campaigned on Tuesday in Wisconsin, a critical battleground. She won support from major party figures, and attention has since turned to who she will pick as her running mate.
