Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has a one percentage point lead over Republican Donald Trump, narrowing the gap that opened up in the final weeks of the race for incumbent President Joe Biden.
That's according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted July 26-28.
Harris Leads Trump — Poll
— A three-day poll completed Sunday found Vice President Harris with 43% of registered voters, while former President Trump has the support of 43% of registered voters. 42%, within a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll last week showed Harris with a 44%-42% margin of error.
Now watching
Harris has strengthened her position as the Democratic nominee over the past 10 days after Biden, 81, bowed to growing pressure from within his party and dropped out of the race. Since then, Harris' campaign has received a flurry of donations and support.
In general, voters have begun to view Harris more favorably over the past month, writes Reuters.
According to the poll, 46% of voters have a positive view of her versus 51% who have a negative view of her. That compares with 40% favorable and 57% unfavorable views in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted July 2.
At the same time, favorable attitudes towards Trump have changed little during this time: in the latest poll, 41% of registered voters rated him favorably, and 56% — unfavorable.
The poll also found that registered voters prefer Trump's approach to the economy, immigration and crime, while Harris is seen as having a better plan for health care.
Harris's Vice Presidential Search
Notably, Kamala Harris and her campaign continue to vet potential vice presidential candidates behind closed doors, and a choice could be made soon as Harris prepares to campaign with the person in competitive states next week.
The contenders for the job have yet to build much of a national profile, the poll found.
U.S. Senator and former astronaut Mark Kelly of Arizona, for example, received the highest favorability rating among the group — 32%, followed by Governors Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania — 27%, Andy Beshear of Kentucky — 20%, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois — 14% and Tim Walz of Minnesota — 11%.
About half of registered voters who responded to the poll said they hadn't heard of Kelly, and even fewer were familiar with the other candidates.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg wasn't included in the latest poll, but 37% of registered voters who responded to last week's poll had a favorable opinion of him.
Note that national polls measure popular support for politicians, but the presidency usually goes to battleground states like Arizona, Michigan, and Pennsylvania that tip the balance in the Electoral College USA.
