U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is ahead of Republican rival Donald Trump by 5 percentage points, according to an NBC News poll released on Sunday.
The survey indicates that public perception of Harris has improved since she became the Democratic nominee, with 48% of 1,000 registered voters viewing her positively—up from 32% in July. This marks the largest increase in favorability among politicians since President George W. Bush’s ratings rose after the September 11 attacks in 2001.
In contrast, 40% of respondents expressed a positive view of Trump, which is a slight increase from 38% in July. The poll, conducted between September 13-17, has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
A separate CBS News poll shows Harris leading Trump by 4 percentage points among likely voters, with a 52% to 48% split and a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. These findings align with other recent national polls, including those by Reuters/Ipsos, indicating a close contest as the November 5 election approaches.
While national polls provide insight into voter sentiment, the results of the Electoral College, particularly in key battleground states, will ultimately determine the election outcome.
Trump, 78, is running for the White House for a third time after losing to Joe Biden in 2020, a defeat he continues to falsely attribute to widespread voter fraud, amid ongoing federal and state legal challenges related to his attempts to overturn the election results.
Harris, 59, a former U.S. senator and prosecutor, currently serves under Biden and would make history as the first woman president in the nation’s 248-year history if elected.
According to Amy Walter, publisher and editor of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, “She’s shifted the race from a referendum on Joe Biden to a referendum on Donald Trump.”
In the CBS poll of 3,129 registered voters conducted from September 18-20, Harris gained 2 percentage points following a 50-50 split in August, bolstered by her performance in the September 10 debate and improving economic indicators.
