In a dramatic shift, the 2024 presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump has tightened, with a new poll showing both candidates locked at 47 percent, signaling fresh momentum for Trump just weeks before Election Day.
In a surprising turn for the 2024 presidential race, a new Yahoo News poll reveals that Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are now deadlocked at 47 percent each among likely voters. This marks a significant tightening in a race where Harris had previously led by four points, 50 to 46 percent, according to the same pollster before the recent vice-presidential debate.
The shift seems to have been triggered by Ohio Senator JD Vance’s strong debate performance last week, which has been well-received by voters. The pollster notes that "Vice President Kamala Harris’s narrow national lead over former President Donald Trump has tightened in the wake of a well-received debate performance last week by Ohio Sen. JD Vance," further suggesting that the race is returning to the statistical stalemate seen before Harris’s September debate boost.
JD Vance, who is Trump’s running mate, was viewed as the winner of the vice-presidential debate by 41 percent of those polled, compared to just 32 percent who felt that Harris’s running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, had performed better. Among independent voters, the gap was even more pronounced, with 42 percent favoring Vance’s debate performance compared to only 23 percent for Walz.
For Vance, the debate brought a noticeable uptick in public perception. His favorable rating rose to 37 percent, up from 31 percent last month, while Walz saw a smaller jump, from 39 percent to 43 percent. Both candidates, however, still face significant unfavorable ratings, with Vance at 48 percent and Walz at 40 percent.
Despite Harris’s earlier lead, the national polling average now shows a mixed picture. According to RealClearPolitics’ average of October polls, one poll shows a tie, while three give Harris leads of one to three points. However, one poll now shows Trump ahead by two points. This contrasts with last month when Harris held leads of four to five points in several polls.
With just one month left until Election Day, the dynamics of this unpredictable race remain uncertain. Each new poll brings the possibility of fresh momentum for either candidate, but for now, it appears that Trump may be gaining some ground.
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