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Harris Losing Ground to Trump as Election Nears, Polls Show
Kamala Harris's lead over Donald Trump narrows as the election approaches, with key battleground states in play and concerns over support among Black and Hispanic voters.
ND
by News Desk
2024-10-14
Harris Losing Ground to Trump as Election Nears, Polls Show

With less than a month to go until the U.S. presidential election, Kamala Harris's lead over Donald Trump has significantly narrowed, according to a series of recent polls. Once ahead by a comfortable margin, Harris now finds herself in a tightening race as the campaign enters its final stages.

 

A new NBC News poll released on Sunday shows the Democratic and Republican nominees tied nationally at 48%, a stark shift from Harris’s five-point lead in the same poll last month. Similarly, the ABC News/Ipsos poll shows Harris narrowly leading Trump by 50% to 48%, down from a six-point advantage a month earlier. The CBS News/YouGov poll also shows Harris with a slim 51% to 48% lead, with her support slipping by four points since the previous poll.

 

The polls highlight a tightening race, with Harris now holding just a 1.4% lead in the Real Clear Polling aggregate, down from 2.2% on Saturday. This narrowing margin has raised concerns within the Democratic camp about Harris’s ability to secure key voting blocs, particularly among Hispanic and African American voters, two demographics critical to Democratic success.

 

Challenges with Key Voters

Harris has faced difficulties generating enthusiasm among men, including African American and Hispanic voters, groups that have shown increasing support for Trump in recent years. In The New York Times/Siena College polls released over the weekend, Harris secured the backing of 78% of Black voters and 56% of Hispanic voters—lower numbers than previous Democratic nominees in 2020 and 2016.

 

Former President Barack Obama addressed the issue directly during a campaign event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a battleground state, expressing frustration at the lack of enthusiasm from Black men for Harris's candidacy.

 

“You’re coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses, I’ve got a problem with that,” Obama said, speaking to men directly. “Part of it makes me think... you just aren’t feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you’re coming up with other alternatives and reasons for that.”

 

Battleground State Focus

Both candidates continued their focus on key battleground states over the weekend, with Harris campaigning in North Carolina and Trump holding a rally in Arizona. At an event in Greenville, North Carolina, Harris criticized Trump for spreading misinformation about the government’s hurricane response efforts, highlighting how such actions hinder life-saving efforts.

 

“The problem with this... is it’s making it harder to get people life-saving information if they’re led to believe they cannot trust,” Harris said.

 

In contrast, Trump used his rally in Prescott Valley, Arizona to focus on immigration, announcing a proposal to hire 10,000 additional Border Patrol agents and promising a 10% raise for all agents, as well as a $10,000 retention and signing bonus if he wins.

 

“We’re going to retain them,” Trump said, stressing his commitment to boosting border security.

 

A Tight Race Ahead

As the election approaches, both candidates are honing their messaging to sway undecided voters, particularly in battleground states like North Carolina and Arizona. Harris’s challenge lies in rallying key voter groups who appear to be drifting toward Trump, while Trump is doubling down on his core issues such as border security and government accountability.

 

With the polls showing an increasingly close race, the outcome of the 2024 election could hinge on last-minute shifts in voter sentiment, making the final weeks of campaigning all the more critical for both candidates.
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