Kamala Harris heads into Trump debate with lead, rising enthusiasm
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“As a person over 50, I really object to the ageism that has been so rampant in all of the discussions around whether or not Biden should run,” said Liesl Semper, 58, an HR specialist from Akron, Ohio, and an independent who leans to the Democratic Party. “But as a pragmatist, I also understand that this is about winning the election.”
In a USA TODAY/Suffolk Poll of registered voters in late June, Trump supporters were twice as likely as Biden supporters to report being “very excited” about voting for their candidate, 59%-30%.
Now enthusiasm among Trump supporters has stayed about the same, at 60%, in the new poll of likely voters. But enthusiasm among Harris supporters has eclipsed that level, at 68%, more than double Biden’s standing.
Harris also has made inroads on which candidate would do a better job handling important issues.
- On the economy, voters’ top concern, Trump was favored over Harris by 6 percentage points, 51%-45%. That’s an asset, to be sure, but it is less than half the 14-point advantage he held over Biden in June.
- On immigration, an issue that energizes Republican voters, Trump was favored by 3 points, 50%-47%, down from the 13-point preference he had over Biden.
- On national security and on dealing with China, Trump was preferred over Harris by 4 points, down from 10 points over Biden.
- On health care and on race relations, Harris had double-digit advantages of 14 points and 19 points. Both were wider than the 10-point advantages that Biden held.
“It’s vitally important that Trump not be president again,” said Jane Crosson, 67, a retired pediatric cardiologist and a Democrat from Durham, N.C. “Probably my main concerns: protect democracy, protect women’s health rights. I mean, I could go on and on.”
But Republican Melissa Bennett, 54, an office manager and Trump supporter from Pasco, Washington, said she was “terrified” about the repercussions for national security if Harris becomes commander-in-chief. “You know, we’re going to look weak,” she said.
Red flags for Election Day
More than two-thirds of Harris supporters, 68%, were “very confident” that ballots will be accurately counted and reported, and another 29% said they are “somewhat confident” they will be. A negligible 2% were “not confident.”
But among Trump supporters, only 1 in 10 (11%) were “very confident” of a fair count and another 45% “somewhat confident.” Forty-two percent said they were “not confident.”
That could set the stage for disputes, lawsuits and worse after Election Day is over. If Trump loses his second bid for a second term, more than 1 in 4 of his supporters, 27%, said they were not prepared to accept the outcome. That was the sentiment among many of the rioters who assaulted the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to disrupt the counting of Electoral College ballots in the last presidential election.
Which candidate do voters now think will win?
In June, 73% of Biden supporters predicted he would win; now 87% of Harris voters say she will, a jump of 14 points.
In June, 88% of Trump supporters said he would win. Now 76% do − a majority, but a drop of a dozen points.
