Harris Losing Momentum to Trump in US Presidential Race, Polls Indicate

International Research and News Department 14-10-2024

With less than a month remaining before the US presidential election, recent polls show a tight race between Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump.

Several surveys released on Sunday suggest that Harris’s previous advantage over Trump has diminished or disappeared entirely as the campaign nears its final stage. According to three polls, the gap has significantly narrowed.

The latest NBC News poll reveals that both candidates are currently tied, each securing 48% of the national vote, a significant shift from Harris’s five-point lead in the same poll last month.

In the ABC News/Ipsos poll, Harris holds a slim 50% to 48% lead among likely voters, down from a 52% to 46% margin in the previous month. Meanwhile, the CBS News/YouGov poll shows Harris leading with 51% compared to Trump’s 48%, a slight drop from her four-point lead last month.

Real Clear Polling’s aggregate of major polls now shows Harris with a mere 1.4% lead, a drop from 2.2% on Saturday.

These tightening figures have raised concerns among Democrats, particularly regarding Harris’s ability to secure support from Hispanic and African American voters—key groups for the party. While Harris has a strong lead among women of all races, her appeal to male voters, including African Americans and Hispanics, remains a challenge, with many shifting their support toward Trump in recent years.

In polls conducted by The New York Times/Siena College over the weekend, Harris garnered 78% of the Black vote and 56% of the Hispanic vote, figures significantly lower than the support previous Democratic candidates received in the 2020 and 2016 elections.

Former President Barack Obama voiced his frustration on Thursday over the lack of enthusiasm among Black men for Harris’s candidacy, contrasting it with the strong support he received during his own campaigns in 2008 and 2012. At a campaign event in Pennsylvania, a critical battleground state, Obama directly addressed Black men, saying, “You’re coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses, and I’ve got a problem with that. Part of it makes me think that you’re not comfortable with the idea of a woman being president, and you’re looking for alternative reasons.”

Both Harris and Trump spent Sunday campaigning in key swing states—Harris in North Carolina and Trump in Arizona—highlighting their priorities in the final push before Election Day.

During a rally in Greenville, North Carolina, Harris criticized Trump for spreading misinformation about the government’s response to recent hurricanes. “It’s not just that it’s wrong—it’s dangerous. People who need life-saving information are being misled and may not seek help when they need it most,” Harris remarked.

Meanwhile, in Prescott Valley, Arizona, Trump pledged to bolster border security, promising to hire 10,000 additional Border Patrol agents. “After I win, I’ll immediately ask Congress for a 10% raise for all agents and offer each a $10,000 signing and retention bonus,” Trump told his supporters. “We’re going to keep them in place.”

With just weeks to go, the race remains highly competitive, and the outcome may depend on key voter groups and battleground states.