With less than two weeks until the November election, former President Donald Trump is gaining momentum among voters, while Vice President Kamala Harris struggles to make it to the finish line.
A new Gallup poll, taken one month after the candidate’s first and only debate, found that voters are increasingly shifting their favorability toward Trump, spelling more bad news for Harris’ presidential aspirations. The survey found that 50 percent of Americans view the 45th president more favorably than 48 percent do not. Meanwhile, Harris’ rating remains gasping for air. Only 30 percent of respondents indicate a favorable opinion of Harris, while just 34 percent have a highly negative view of the vice president. Among those who lean more moderate than Democrat, 18 percent of voters indicate a positive view of Harris, while 16 percent lean negatively.
This poll puts Trump and Harris on the lower end of what Gallup has measured using this rating scale for presidential nominees dating back to 1956. The 45th president’s rating is similar to his rating in 2020 but better than his 36 percent positive favorability in 2016. In addition, this is the first time in Trump’s three presidential campaigns that his “scalometer” rating has not dipped below 50 percent positive.
Meanwhile, a HarrisX and Forbes poll found that Trump has taken a two-point lead over the vice president nationally. Trump now leads Harris 51 percent to 49 percent— a sharp contrast from a September survey when Harris was leading by four points.
However, 18 percent of voters remain undecided, which could significantly affect the outcome of the election. Trump and Harris have been focusing on critical battleground states to secure last-minute votes in what is expected to be one of the closest races in U.S. history.
As early voting has commenced in several states, Harris has seen a double-digit lead. However, Trump is quickly closing that gap. Even so, Republican voters typically show up to the polls in masses on Election Day, while Democrat voters cast their ballot early or through the mail.
