Harvard/Harris Poll: Dead Heat Between Trump, Harris

(AP)

The race between Republican former President Donald Trump and Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris is virtually a dead heat, according to a new Harvard/Harris poll.

According to the survey, Trump holds a 47% favorability rating and a 52% job approval rating, while Harris’ favorability and job approval ratings remain at 47%.

“Harris has drawn to dead even but Trump has an edge in the underlying numbers given his higher job approval and the overall low approval of the Biden administration,” Mark Penn, co-director of the Harvard CAPS/Harris poll said.

The poll found that voters said Harris would do a better job as president on abortion, climate change and racial inequality, while Trump would handle the economy, immigration, crime and China better.

Both candidates are winning their respective bases, according to the survey, with Trump being favored by rural (59%), white (54%), and male (50%) voters and Harris being preferred by Black (71%), urban (57%) and college-educated (52%) voters. Independents are split nearly evenly and 33% of them say they are still deciding who will get their vote.

There’s a 7-point gap between the candidates among Hispanic voters, with 50% saying they plan to vote for Harris and 43% saying they will vote for Trump. Another 7% of Hispanic voters say they are still unsure.

Poll respondents said they see Trump as a stronger ally to Israel, tougher on China, and more of a free-speech defender on social media than Harris. They also said that Harris is seen as favoring open borders, compassionate law enforcement, free healthcare for migrants, and making the switch to electric vehicles.

On the issue of abortion, Trump is viewed as favoring a national ban, while Harris is viewed as opposing such a ban.

The survey found that 47% of voters approve of the job Harris is doing as vice president, with Democrats (87%), Black (71%), and urban (60%) voters giving high approval marks.

Meanwhile, 63% of voters say they believe the economy is on the wrong track and 62% describe it as weak. A 42% share of voters said inflation is the most important issue facing the country today, which is up 5 points from the July Harvard-Harris poll.

Nearly 5 in 10 voters say their personal financial situation is getting worse, especially among rural (57%), 55-64 year-old (55%), and female (53%) voters.

The poll was conducted Sept. 4-5 and surveyed 2,358 registered voters. No margin of error was given.