While the race for the White House remains close, Vice President Harris is leading former President Trump by an average of two points in seven battleground states. The poll was released Thursday.
A Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll found that Harris leads Trump by two points on average among voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Polls limited to voters in those states give Harris a one-point lead, making it a statistical tie.
According to pollsters, Harris' lead was largest in Wisconsin, where she led Trump by 8 points among registered voters, followed by Nevada and Pennsylvania, where Harris led by 4 points each. In Arizona, the two candidates were neck and neck at 48%, while in Georgia and North Carolina, Harris led by 2 points each, and in Michigan, she led by 3 points.
Ms. Harris' lead in North Carolina is particularly notable, as pollsters say a Democratic presidential candidate hasn't won there since former President Barack Obama in 2008. Ms. Harris's growth in North Carolina prompted the nonpartisan Cook Political Report to change the state's presidential race from “Republican strong” to “close.”
Harris has been closing the gap on Trump since replacing Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee last month, putting at risk the large lead she enjoyed over Biden during the campaign.
Thursday's poll followed a Fox News survey showing Harris gaining support in the Sun Belt states of Arizona, Georgia and Nevada as well. The Trump campaign later blasted Fox News for the poll.
The former president has largely dismissed the idea that Harris is gaining ground in the polls.
The poll also suggested that the selection of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (Democrat) as Harris' running mate had a more positive effect on voter turnout for Democratic candidates in battleground states than the selection of Republican Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio and its effect on the Republican candidate.
The poll found that about 30% of voters in battleground states said they were more likely to vote for Harris after she chose Walz as her running mate, compared to just 23% who said the same after Trump named Vance as his running mate last month.
The Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll surveyed 4,962 voters in seven battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Pollsters said the margin of error is plus or minus 1 percentage point across seven states, 3 percentage points in Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania, 4 percentage points in Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin and 5 percentage points in Nevada.
