Kamala Harris and Donald Trump neck-and-neck in latest poll
The race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump remains exceptionally close. According to a poll published by The New York Times on Friday, both candidates can expect to receive around 48% support. Harris had a slight lead in the survey conducted at the beginning of October.
""The result, coming less than two weeks before Election Day, and as millions of Americans have already voted, is not encouraging for Ms. Harris," the newspaper emphasises.
The result, which shows both Harris and Trump with 48% support, indicates a slight increase in support for Trump since 8 October, when the previous poll commissioned by "The New York Times" was released. At that time, the current Vice President had a lead over the former President with a 49 to 47 percent advantage nationwide.
The newspaper reminds readers 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 highly competitive, the newspaper notes.
Trump gains in the poll
The newspaper points out that a potential advantage 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, particularly with his promise of "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 unfavourable for the ruling party, the newspaper notes.
"The New York Times" also observes, however, that there are positive signals for Harris. Trump's lead in assessing the candidates' competencies regarding 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 account for 15% of the electorate.
The poll conducted by Siena College for "The New York Times" from 20-23 October surveyed 2,516 registered voters. This is the newspaper's final public opinion poll before the U.S. presidential elections on 5 November. The results are within the margin of error of 2.2 percentage points.
