Kamala Harris Closes Gap with Trump in Head-to-Head Matchup

A new Fox News poll shows Vice President Kamala Harris has closed the gap with former President Donald Trump in a head-to-head matchup, with Harris now holding a slight 2-point lead among registered voters.

Vice President Kamala Harris has made significant gains in a head-to-head matchup against former President Donald Trump, according to a new Fox News poll. While Trump held a 1-point lead among registered voters in mid-August, Harris has now surged ahead by 2 points, with 50% of voters supporting her compared to 48% for Trump. This marks the first time Harris has hit 50% support in a national poll.

The poll results suggest that Harris's campaign has been effective in reaching out to key demographics, particularly independents and Hispanics. In August, Trump led among independents by 8 points and among Hispanics by 6 points. However, in the new poll, Harris has flipped both of these groups in her favor, with independents now supporting her by 12 points and Hispanics by 10.

Kamala Harris Closes Gap with Trump in Head-to-Head Matchup

Harris's strong performance among these groups is likely due in part to her focus on issues such as the economy, healthcare, and abortion rights, which are of particular importance to both independents and Hispanics. Additionally, Harris's personal favorability ratings have improved, with 49% of voters now viewing her favorably, up from 47% in August.

Trump, on the other hand, has seen his lead among some key demographics erode. While he still retains strong support among rural voters, non-college White men, and those who regularly attend religious services, his margins among these groups have narrowed.

The poll also found that Harris is seen as having the temperament to serve effectively as president by 53% of voters, while only 47% say the same about Trump. This suggests that Harris's focus on empathy and bipartisanship is resonating with voters.

Overall, the poll results indicate that the 2024 presidential election is likely to be a tight and competitive race. While Harris has closed the gap with Trump, Trump remains a formidable opponent and could potentially regain his lead as the election approaches.

In terms of policy issues, the poll found that voters trust Harris more than Trump to handle election integrity, healthcare, abortion, transgender issues, and climate change. However, Trump is seen as more capable of handling immigration, the Israel-Hamas war, and the economy.

The economy remains the top issue for voters, with 39% saying it is their priority. However, immigration and abortion are also important issues for many voters.

The poll was conducted Sept. 13-16 under the joint direction of Beacon Research (D) and Shaw & Company Research (R). It includes interviews with a sample of 1,102 registered voters randomly selected from a national voter file. The margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.

Fox News' Victoria Balara contributed to this report.