A new poll shows former President Donald Trump leading Vice President Kamala Harris among veterans, active-duty military personnel, and their families, highlighting a shifting but significant support base for the former president ahead of the upcoming election, The Hill reported.

The poll, conducted by Change Research for Veterans for Responsible Leadership between Aug. 23 and Aug. 29 and shared with The Hill, shows Trump leading Harris 51% to 41% among veterans, with a closer 49% to 44% margin among active-duty service members, guardsmen, and reservists.

The race tightens further among family members of veterans, with Trump holding a narrow 47% to 45% edge over Harris.

Despite these leads, the poll also highlights a notable decline in support for Trump from these military-affiliated groups since his 2016 campaign.

Veterans’ support for Trump has dropped by 9 percentage points from 2016, when he led by 19 points. His lead among active-service members has shrunk from 19 points to just 5 points, and among family members of veterans, the gap has diminished from 12 points to only 2 points, according to The Hill.

Trump has long enjoyed significant support from veterans, who traditionally lean Republican. However, this voting bloc has not been without criticism of the former president.

Trump faced backlash last week after a controversial incident at Arlington National Cemetery on Aug. 26, when Trump and his staff were said to have ignored requests from cemetery officials to refrain from taking photos or videos near gravestones in compliance with a federal law prohibiting campaign activities at military cemeteries.

According to cemetery officials, as reported by The Washington Post, a female cemetery worker was allegedly “abruptly pushed aside” by male Trump aides as she attempted to enforce the rules, according to the Post.

Trump has denied the incident.

Also, the Trump campaign released a statement from the Gold Star families who have lost a loved one in the botched Afghanistan withdrawal by President Biden.

“President Trump was invited by us, the Gold Star families, to attend the solemn ceremonies commemorating the three-year anniversary of our children’s deaths,” said the relatives’ joint statement. “He was there to honor their sacrifice, yet Vice President Harris has disgracefully twisted this sacred moment into a political ploy,” ABC 25WPBF reported.

The poll surveyed 1,703 veterans, active-duty service members, and family members of military personnel, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

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