A new poll from the Institute for International Affairs/YouGov found that Vice President Harris leads former President Trump when asked whether he would “pursue a foreign policy that benefits people like you,” but she lags Trump on the same question in battleground states.
Fifty-three percent of Americans say Harris is more likely than Trump to “pursue a foreign policy that benefits people like you,” while 47% say Trump would do the same.
But in battleground states, Trump leads with 53 percent on the same question, to Harris's 47 percent.
The battleground states in question in the August 2024 poll released on Monday focus on three northern states — Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan — and three southern battleground states — Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. A seventh state, North Carolina, which is in contention for both candidates, is not included in the poll.
Trump led Harris among respondents in northern battleground states with 51 percent support, while Harris led in the Sun Belt with 52 percent support.
Similarly, among Americans who think Harris is “likely to be a strong leader who will advance American interests internationally,” she leads Trump 52 percent to 48 percent.
But in battleground states, more people associate this sentiment with Trump than Harris, 54 percent to 46 percent, including 55 percent in Northern states and 53 percent in Southern battleground states.
Fifty-two percent of Americans said Harris was more likely to “respond effectively to a pandemic, mass migration or similar international crisis,” while 48% said the same about Trump.
But in battleground states, Trump leads 51 percent to 49 percent on the issue, while looking at separate sample groups of southern and northern battleground states, the candidates are split 50 percent each.
Nationwide, Harris is seen as more likely than Trump to “improve America's international reputation,” by 53 percent to 47 percent.
Fifty-one percent of voters in battleground states say the same about Trump, including 51% of respondents in Northern states. But respondents in Southern battleground states say Harris is more likely to improve America's international reputation than Trump, 51% to 49%.
The race between the former president and vice president remains close, with the two separated by less than 1 percentage point in battleground states, according to a Hill/Decision Desk polling average. Nationally, the vice president leads his Republican opponent by 3.6 percentage points, 50.3 percent to 46.7 percent.
The poll, conducted Aug. 15-22 among 1,835 U.S. adults, had a margin of error of 3.9 percentage points. The margin of error in northern and southern battleground states was 5.6 and 5.7 percentage points, respectively.
