Poll shows Harris-Trump race deadlocked as election nears
The race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump remains extremely tight. According to a poll published by "The New York Times" on Friday, both candidates have about 48% support. Harris had a slight lead in the survey conducted at the beginning of October.
"The result of the poll, which appeared less than two weeks before Election Day, is not optimistic for Harris," the newspaper emphasizes.
The outcome, showing that Harris and Trump have 48% support each, indicates a slight increase in support for Trump since October 8, when the previous poll commissioned by "The New York Times" was released. At that time, the current vice president had a lead of 49 to 47 per cent nationwide.
The newspaper reminds us that the final decision on who will take the office of the President of the USA will be made by voters in the so-called swing states, where neither candidate has a clear advantage. These states include Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Recent polls indicate that the race in these states is very tight, the newspaper notes.
Trump gains in the poll
The newspaper points out that an opportunity for Trump could be the growing public concern regarding immigration. In "The New York Times" survey, 15% of voters identified immigration as the main issue (up from 12% in the previous survey), and 54% believe that the Republican candidate deserves more trust on this issue, especially by promising "the largest deportation in American history."
Negative sentiments about the direction in which the country is heading may also work in Trump's favour. Only 28% of respondents considered this direction to be appropriate, which is unfavorable for the ruling party, the newspaper notes.
"The New York Times" also observes that there are positive signals for Harris. Trump's lead in assessing the candidates' competencies in terms of the economy has decreased from 13 to 6 percent. Additionally, Harris enjoys greater trust on the issue of abortion rights and is the preferred candidate among undecided voters, who make up 15% of the electorate.
The poll conducted by Siena College for "The New York Times" from October 20-23 surveyed 2,516 registered voters. This is the newspaper's last public opinion poll before the U.S. presidential elections on November 5. The results are within the margin of error of 2.2 percentage points.
