Harris builds momentum, difficult Trump on mantle of change
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks throughout a presidential debate with US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris on the Nationwide Structure Middle in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 10, 2024.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Photographs
A double-digit improve in reputation, rising Democratic enthusiasm and an early edge for representing “change” have vaulted Vice President Kamala Harris ahead and reshuffled the 2024 presidential contest, according to a new national NBC News poll.
With simply over six weeks till Election Day, the ballot finds Harris with a 5-point lead over former President Donald Trump amongst registered voters, 49% to 44%. Whereas that result’s inside the margin of error, it is a clear shift from July’s ballot, when Trump was forward by 2 factors earlier than President Joe Biden’s exit.
However the transformation within the presidential contest goes effectively past the horse race. For starters, Harris’ favorability has jumped 16 factors since July, the most important improve for any politician in NBC Information polling since then-President George W. Bush’s standing surged after the 9/11 terrorist assaults.
Harris additionally holds the benefit over Trump on being seen as competent and efficient, in addition to on having the psychological and bodily well being to be president — a reversal from Trump’s leads on these qualities when he was matched up in opposition to Biden.
And in a contest between a sitting vice chairman and an ex-president, that includes an voters that overwhelmingly thinks the U.S. is “on the improper observe,” Harris has the higher hand on which candidate higher represents change and which candidate can get the nation headed in the precise course.
“In July, there was a stiff breeze heading straight at President Biden and obscuring a transparent path to victory. At present, the winds have turned in Kamala Harris’ favor,” mentioned Jeff Horwitt of Hart Analysis Associates, the Democratic pollster who carried out this survey with Republican pollster Invoice McInturff of Public Opinion Methods.
Nonetheless, Trump holds necessary benefits on the financial system and inflation, though these leads are smaller than they had been when Biden was nonetheless within the contest. Two-thirds of voters say their household revenue is falling behind the price of residing, and voters ranked the price of residing as their prime concern within the election.
What’s extra, the ballot exhibits that a few of Trump’s erosion has come from Republicans who aren’t die-hard supporters of the previous president — however who may come again residence to him, like they did in 2016 and 2020.
“We have now seen this film earlier than,” mentioned McInturff. “They’ll get squishy on Trump, after which in the long run they arrive again they usually vote the way in which they’ll vote on a Republican-versus-Democrat choice for Congress.”
General, the 2024 presidential race seems to be lots prefer it did 4 years in the past, each pollsters agree, with the Democratic nominee extra widespread than the Republican candidate, the voters nonetheless deeply polarized, and the ultimate end result unclear.
“All of this motion to Harris basically returns the race to the place it was in 2020 on the finish of the marketing campaign: a really shut election,” Horwitt mentioned.
This brand-new NBC Information ballot, carried out Sept. 13-17, comes after a momentous two months in American politics, together with Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 race on July 21, two celebration conventions, two vice-presidential picks, an assassination try on Trump in July and one other obvious try two months later, and the primary (and maybe solely) debate between Trump and Harris.
Within the first NBC Information ballot since these occasions, Harris will get assist from 49% of registered voters within the head-to-head check in opposition to Trump, who will get 44%. One other 7% both choose one other candidate, say they’re not sure or say they will not vote.
In an expanded poll with third-party candidates, Harris leads Trump by 6 factors, 47% to 41% — with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at 2%, Jill Stein at 2% and Libertarian Chase Oliver at 1%. (Respondents had been solely capable of choose from the key third-party candidates who will really seem on the poll of their states.)
Each methods of testing the race characterize a change from July’s ballot, when Trump was narrowly forward of Biden by 2 factors on the head-to-head poll check and by 3 factors on the expanded poll check. The September outcomes are the Democratic ticket’s finest efficiency within the ballot because the summer time of 2023.
In the present head-to-head matchup, Harris holds the benefit amongst Black voters (85%-7%), voters ages 18-34 (57%-34%), ladies (58%-37%), white voters with faculty levels (59%-38%) and independents (43%-35%).
All of those benefits are bigger for Harris than Biden had loved when he was nonetheless within the race, besides amongst independents, the place Harris’ 8-point edge is nearly an identical to Biden’s benefit in July.
Trump, in the meantime, is forward amongst males (52%-40%), white voters (52%-43%) and white voters with out faculty levels (61%-33%).
Seventy-one p.c of all voters say their minds are made up, whereas 11% say they could change their vote — a shift from April, when 26% mentioned they might nonetheless change their thoughts.
Harris leads on abortion, health and alter; Trump is forward on the important thing problems with the border and inflation
The NBC Information ballot additionally exams Harris and Trump on 13 completely different points and presidential qualities.
Harris’ finest outcomes are on defending immigrant rights (the place she has a 28-point lead over Trump), abortion (+21 factors), having the required psychological and bodily well being to be president (+20 factors), having the precise temperament to be president (+16 factors) and representing change (+9 factors).
By comparability, Trump’s largest leads are on securing the border (+21), the financial system (+9) and coping with the price of residing (+8).
These present Trump benefits, nevertheless, are all down from when Biden was nonetheless within the race. When NBC News put those questions to voters about Trump and Biden in January, Trump led the president by 35 factors on the problem of securing the border and controlling immigration and by 22 factors on coping with the financial system.
In April, voters gave Trump a 22-point edge over Biden on coping with inflation and the price of residing, too.
A historic leap in Harris’ reputation
Past these points and qualities, what additionally stands out within the ballot is Harris’ elevated reputation since her elevation to the highest of the Democratic ticket.
In July, 32% of registered voters had a optimistic view of Harris, versus 50% who noticed her in a destructive gentle (-18 web ranking) — virtually an identical to Biden’s ranking.
However on this new ballot, Harris is now at 48% optimistic, 45% destructive (+3).
No major-party presidential candidate within the 35-year historical past of the NBC Information ballot has seen this type of leap in reputation in an election.
And the one will increase which are better than Harris’ in successive NBC Information polls are George W. Bush’s leap after 9/11 (when his optimistic quantity elevated practically 30 factors); then-President George H.W. Bush’s leap in reputation after the primary Gulf Battle (when his optimistic quantity elevated by 24 factors); and impartial Ross Perot, who bought a 23-point leap when he re-entered the 1992 presidential race after beforehand dropping out.
In contrast, Trump’s web ranking within the new ballot is actually unchanged from July — 40% optimistic, 53% destructive (-13).
Warning indicators for Harris
Regardless of that enchancment for Harris, the ballot accommodates warning indicators for Democrats. For one factor, inflation and the price of residing stay voters’ prime subject. And 66% of voters say their household’s revenue is falling behind the price of residing.
As well as, whereas Harris leads Trump on “change,” a separate query exhibits a possible vulnerability in being tied to Biden’s presidency: 40% of voters say they’re extra involved that Harris will proceed the identical strategy as Biden.
That is in contrast with 39% who’re extra involved that Trump will proceed the identical strategy as his first time period as president; 18% say neither is a priority.
In the meantime, 65% of voters say the nation is on the improper observe, in comparison with simply 28% who say it is on course. Although the wrong-track share is smaller than it has been throughout many of the Biden-Harris administration, the bitter outlook intently mirrors how voters noticed issues after they determined to alter the celebration within the White Home in 2016 and 2020.
And whereas the share of Democrats expressing excessive curiosity within the election — registering both a “9” or “10” on a 10-point scale — has elevated since July, younger voters stay at a low degree of curiosity in comparison with latest presidential elections.
Different ballot findings
On the latest debate between Harris and Trump, 29% mentioned the Sept. 10 showdown made them extra more likely to assist Harris, versus 12% who mentioned it made them extra more likely to again Trump; 57% mentioned it made no distinction.
Within the battle for management of Congress, 48% of registered voters want a Democratic-controlled Congress, in contrast with 46% who need Republicans in cost. (That is basically unchanged from July, when it was 47% Democratic, 46% Republican.)
And on Project 2025 — the conservative coverage blueprint with ties to former Trump administration officers, which Democrats have featured of their marketing campaign — a whopping 57% of voters have a destructive view of it, versus simply 4% who see it in a optimistic gentle.
The nationwide NBC Information ballot was carried out Sept. 13-17 of 1,000 registered voters — 870 of whom had been reached by way of cellphone — and it has an total margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 share factors.
