News - Popularity ratings of Trump and Harris virtually equal, according to new poll

Former US president and presidential candidate Donald Trump and his Democratic Party opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, have been almost evenly matched in recent weeks, according to a New York Times-Siena College poll, VOA reports. A poll released Sunday showed Trump with a 48-47% lead nationally within the poll's margin of error, meaning either candidate could win the November 5 election. While Trump's campaign has slowed since President Joe Biden pulled out of the race in July, recent polls show his core support has remained intact. The new poll showed that the debate stakes are particularly high for Harris in introducing herself to the American public, with 28% of those surveyed saying they need to know more about her, while only 9% said the same about Trump. Polls suggest Tuesday's presidential debate could be a pivotal moment in the presidential race. Harris will have a chance to talk more about the policies she plans to pursue. The race is so competitive that even a small margin of victory for either candidate could be decisive. Since replacing Biden as the Democratic Party nominee over the summer, Harris has been active on the campaign trail but has kept media interviews to a minimum. The key numbers in the latest survey are similar to a recent comparable New York Times-Siena College poll released in late July. Trump also led by one percentage point on that issue. The seven highly contested states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina are expected to play an outsized role in determining the outcome of the election because the US does not pick its president and vice president by the national popular vote.