Recent surveys indicate a tightening race for the presidency, with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris leading Republican rival Donald Trump by 5 percentage points, according to an NBC News poll released Sunday. The poll reflects a notable shift in public perception, as 48% of 1,000 registered voters surveyed expressed positive views of Harris since she secured the Democratic nomination, a significant increase from 32% in July. This marks the largest improvement in favorability ratings for a politician polled by NBC since President George W. Bush’s rise in approval after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
In contrast, Trump’s positive rating stands at 40%, up from 38% in July. The NBC poll, conducted from September 13 to 17, has a margin of error of 3 percentage points. A separate CBS News poll also shows Harris leading Trump, this time by 4 percentage points, with 52% of likely voters favoring her compared to 48% for Trump, and a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
These findings align with other recent national polls, including those by Reuters/Ipsos, suggesting a close contest as the November 5 election approaches. While national polling offers insights into voter sentiment, the outcome will ultimately depend on state-by-state results in the Electoral College, with key battleground states likely playing a crucial role.
Trump, 78, is making his third bid for the White House after losing to Joe Biden in 2020, a loss he continues to attribute to alleged voter fraud while facing multiple criminal charges related to efforts to overturn the election results. Harris, 59, is a former U.S. senator and prosecutor currently serving under Biden. If elected, she would make history as the first woman to hold the presidency in the nation’s 248-year history.
“She has successfully shifted the focus from a referendum on Joe Biden to one on Donald Trump,” said Amy Walter, publisher and editor-in-chief of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
In CBS’ poll of 3,129 registered voters conducted from September 18 to 20, Harris gained 2 percentage points after a tie in August, bolstered by her performance in the September 10 debate and improving economic conditions.
