According to the latest polls, former President Trump and Vice President Harris are in a close race across the Sun Belt.
Harris led Trump by five points in Arizona with 50% approval rating, compared to 45% approval rating, and in North Carolina she led Trump by two points with 49% approval rating, compared to 47% approval rating. New York Times/Siena Research Found it.
The latter figure is of particular concern to Republicans, as Trump won North Carolina in both the 2016 and 2020 elections.
Polls conducted when President Biden was in the lead had suggested that Trump would win both Arizona and North Carolina by a landslide.
The poll was conducted among 677 Arizona voters from Aug. 8 to Aug. 15, 661 Georgia voters from Aug. 9 to Aug. 14, 655 North Carolina voters, and 677 Nevada voters from Aug. 12 to Aug. 15.
There was some good news for Trump in the poll.
In Georgia, a key Republican stronghold that Trump lost in 2020, Trump led Harris by 4 points with 50% approval rating to her 46%.
In Nevada, a state Trump lost in 2016 and 2020, he was leading Harris by 48% to 47%.
The survey also found that 43% of voters viewed Harris as “too liberal or too progressive,” while only 33% viewed President Trump as “too conservative.”
“This is a whole new electoral map,” pollster Carly Cooperman told The Post. “This is a close race, and it’s not a sure thing that Harris will win, but it does open up a whole new avenue for her.”
Majorities of voters in the four states surveyed believe Trump will do a better job on economic issues than Harris, where Trump holds a commanding edge, 56% to 41. On immigration, Trump leads Harris, 53% to 43%. On abortion, Harris has a large lead over Trump, 56% to 38%.
“Right now there’s a lot of enthusiasm and excitement around her candidacy and people are going to accept her without question,” Cooperman said.
The poll also found that near the bottom of the list, Sen. J.D. Vance was viewed favorably by 36% of voters and unfavorably by 45%. In contrast, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was viewed favorably by 38% of voters and unfavorably by just 35%.
More than half of voters said they were paying “a lot” of attention to the election campaign, suggesting views are hardening.
The same poll from last week found Trump losing by 4 points in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan – all three key battleground states in 2024 that are expected to be tightly contested by both candidates.
