Vice President Kamala Harris has expanded her lead over former President Donald Trump in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll, released on Thursday. The poll reveals Harris holding a 45% to 41% advantage among registered voters. This represents a significant shift in favor of Harris, fueled by a surge in support from women and Hispanic voters.
The poll, conducted over eight days ending Wednesday, shows Harris leading Trump by a substantial margin of 49% to 36% among both women and Hispanic voters. This marks a notable increase from her 1-point lead in late July. While Trump maintains a lead among white voters and men, his advantage among voters without a college degree has shrunk from 14 points in July to 7 points in this poll.
These findings emerge after President Joe Biden officially ended his campaign on July 21st, allowing Harris to take center stage. Since then, she has experienced a boost in national and swing state polls. However, Trump still holds a narrow 45% to 43% lead over Harris in critical battleground states.
The poll also highlights an upsurge in Democratic enthusiasm. A whopping 73% of Democratic voters report feeling more excited about voting since Harris entered the race. Furthermore, the poll indicates that 52% of Harris’s supporters back her as a candidate, not simply as an alternative to Trump.
The poll results have ignited concerns within the Republican Party regarding Trump’s campaign strategy against Harris. GOP donors and strategists have expressed alarm over Trump’s attacks on Harris, deeming them ineffective. Prominent Republican donor Eric Levine has warned that Trump’s current approach could lead to a loss in the election.
Trump’s recent comments have further fueled controversy. In a July interview with Fox News, he claimed Harris’s prosecutorial record included jailing “thousands and thousands of Black people” for marijuana offenses. This claim was fact-checked and deemed a gross exaggeration. Additionally, Trump faced backlash for questioning Harris’s racial identity at a National Association of Black Journalists convention.
The poll’s findings suggest that Harris’s campaign is gaining momentum, while Trump’s approach is raising concerns among his own party. The coming months will be crucial in determining the trajectory of this race.
