According to a recent poll conducted by Ipsos, US Vice President Kamala Harris is leading her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, in the 2024 US presidential race. The poll, published on August 7, shows Harris garnering 42% of support compared to Trump’s 37%. This represents a five-point increase for Harris since the previous Reuters-Ipsos poll conducted on July 22-23, where she stood at 37% against Trump’s 34%.
The Ipsos poll, conducted independently of Reuters, surveyed 2,045 US adults online between August 2-7 and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points. The poll also found that independent candidate Robert Kennedy Jr.’s support has dwindled from 10% in July to 4% in August. The US elections are scheduled for November 5, 2024.
In a separate poll focusing on seven swing states that saw close results in the 2020 election, Harris continues to lead Trump. This poll, covering Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Nevada, Michigan, Georgia, and Arizona, shows Harris with 42% support compared to Trump’s 40%. No individual state results were released.
Harris’s performance in these polls marks a notable improvement over Biden’s recent performance. In the 2024 Ipsos-Reuters polls, Biden was largely tied with Trump, registering lower numbers than in 2020 when he defeated Trump. Harris entered the race on July 21 after Biden, at 81 years old, decided to step aside and endorse his Vice President. This decision followed much media speculation and came after a widely debated June 27 debate performance against Trump.
The August poll also revealed voter perceptions of the candidates. When it comes to word association, Trump is linked with ‘patriot’, a term he frequently uses in his campaign speeches, and ‘weird’, a word often used by Harris supporters to counter Trump. This suggests a shift in voter sentiment, with Harris being perceived as a stronger candidate than Biden, and Trump facing negative perceptions despite his strong base of supporters.
