Harris Narrows Gap Against Trump, Galvanizing Democrats

A new poll from The Wall Street Journal finds Vice President Kamala Harris neck and neck with Donald Trump, indicating she has cut into the six-point lead Trump had over President Biden before Biden withdrew from the race last weekend.

Vice President Kamala Harris has made significant strides in her bid for the presidency, narrowing the gap against former President Donald Trump in recent polls. A new poll from The Wall Street Journal has found Harris neck and neck with Trump after President Biden vacated the Democratic nomination for November's election.

The poll, conducted by Democratic pollster Mike Bocian and Republican pollster David Lee, found that Harris has cut into Trump's lead by galvanizing the Democratic base and bringing high levels of enthusiasm into the party. "Only 37% of Biden voters were enthusiastic about him in early July, and now 81% of Harris voters are enthusiastic about her," Bocian told the Journal.

Harris Narrows Gap Against Trump, Galvanizing Democrats

The former president maintains a 2% lead over Harris in a two-person race, within the Journal's 3.1% margin of error. This indicates that Harris has made significant progress since last weekend, when Trump had a six-point lead over Biden.

When the field expands to include Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other independent and third-party candidates, the gap slips to a slender 1% lead for Trump over Harris, 45% to 44%. This shift is largely due to the change in voter demographics, as Harris has been able to attract more support from Democrats and independents.

Harris Narrows Gap Against Trump, Galvanizing Democrats

The Journal poll also found that Harris raised $100 million from over 1.1 million unique donors between Sunday afternoon to Monday evening after she announced she would run in place of Biden. This marked what her campaign claimed to be the "largest 24-hour raise in presidential history."

However, the poll also includes some good news for Trump. Republican pollster David Lee pointed out that Trump was trailing Biden in the July 2020 Journal poll by nine points. "Donald Trump is in a far better position in this election when compared to a similar time in the 2020 election," Lee told the Journal.

Harris Narrows Gap Against Trump, Galvanizing Democrats

Voters favor Trump on key issues like the economy, immigration, foreign policy, and crime, while they lean toward Harris on abortion. "Instead of what was shaping up to be a Trump win, America has a real, bona fide race on its hands," veteran political scientist and New England College President Wayne Lesperance told Fox News Digital.

A tied national poll would give Trump an advantage in the Electoral College "given the way the country's population is dispersed," according to the Journal. However, Harris has yet to pick a vice presidential candidate, with the likes of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper likely to shake up those numbers.

Harris Narrows Gap Against Trump, Galvanizing Democrats

The race has tightened in battleground states overall, which will prove welcome news for Democrats who pushed for Biden to drop out on word that polling indicated a collapse in those states.

In Michigan, Harris and Trump remain in a dead heat, according to a Fox News poll released Friday, which marked a three-point shift for Harris, up from Biden's 46% in April polling.

Fox News surveys in those battleground states found that Trump is meeting or exceeding his 2020 vote share when put into a two-way race with Harris, with greater support among voters who prioritize the economy and immigration as their top issues. Voters who consider abortion a top issue favor Harris.

Harris also enjoys higher favorable ratings than Trump in each state except Michigan, where they remain tied.