Trump, Harris separated by 1 point in new survey

Former President Trump and Vice President Harris are separated by 1 percentage point among likely voters in a new survey, signaling the likely Democratic nominee is narrowing the gap against her Republican rival compared to President Biden.

A New York Times/Siena College poll puts the pair nearly tied, with Trump leading Harris 48 percent to 47 percent among likely voters in a one-on-one match-up.

In early July, the poll found Biden behind Trump by 6 points in the wake of a disappointing performance at the first presidential debate. 

Among registered voters, Trump leads Harris 48 percent to 46 percent, a 2-point edge smaller than the 9-point lead he held over Biden in the previous poll. 

The new numbers are a promising sign for Democrats just days after Biden made the historic move to withdraw from the White House race and endorse Harris for 2024. The vice president has already secured the delegate support she needs for the Democratic presidential nomination ahead of her party’s convention next month. 

The Times/Siena poll also found an overwhelming 7 in 10 Democratic voters said they want their party to consolidate behind Harris rather than court other options in a more competitive process, and 14 percent said they’d prefer another option at the top of the ticket. 

Harris has seen a swell of Democratic support and pulled in massive fundraising numbers, but polling has also flashed signs of an uphill fight in key battleground states. 

At the same time, Harris has seen signals of an enthusiasm boost among critical voting blocs, including young voters and voters of color. 

The Times/Siena poll was conducted Monday through Wednesday, beginning one day after Biden announced he was dropping out of the race. It polled 1,142 registered voters across the country. The poll’s margin of sampling error among registered voters is 3.3 percentage points.