Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures during a rally with his vice presidential running mate U.S. Senator JD Vance in St. Cloud, Minnesota, U.S., July 27, 2024. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris held a marginal one-percentage-point lead over Republican Donald Trump in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, closing the gap that opened in the final weeks of President Joe Biden's reelection bid.
The three-day poll, completed on Sunday, showed Vice President Harris supported by 43% of registered voters, with former President Trump supported by 42%, within the poll's 3.5 percentage point margin of error.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll last week showed Harris up 44%-42%.
Harris consolidated her position as the Democratic candidate over the last 10 days, after Biden, 81, bowed to growing pressure within his party and dropped out of the race. Harris has since received a surge of donations and endorsements.
Overall, voters have come to view Harris more favorably over the past month. The poll found that 46% of voters held a favorable view of her versus 51% who viewed her unfavorably. That compared with 40% favorable and 57% unfavorable in a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on July 2.
Trump's favorability was little changed over that time, with 41% of registered voters viewing him favorably and 56% unfavorably in the most recent poll.
The poll showed registered voters prefer Trump's approach on the economy, immigration and crime, while viewing Harris as having the better plan on healthcare.
The poll of 1,025 U.S. adults, including 876 registered voters, was conducted online, in English from July 26-28.
Nationwide polls gauge American voter support for politicians, but the presidency is usually captured in competitive states such as Arizona, Michigan and Pennsylvania that shift the balance in the U.S. Electoral College.
HARRIS RUNNING MATE SEARCH
Harris and her campaign continue to vet potential running mates behind closed doors, and a pick could be made soon as Harris prepares to campaign alongside that person in competitive battleground states next week.
The contenders seeking that position have yet to build large national profiles, the poll suggests.
U.S. Senator and former astronaut Mark Kelly of Arizona had the highest favorability rating among this group at 32%, followed by governors Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania at 27%; Andy Beshear of Kentucky at 20%, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois at 14% and Tim Walz of Minnesota at 11%.
About half of registered voters responding to the poll said they had not heard of Kelly and were even less familiar with the others.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was not included in the latest poll, but 37% of registered voters responding to last week’s poll had a favorable view of him.
(Reporting by Bo Erickson; Editing by Scott Malone and Howard Goller)
