In a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted on Monday and Tuesday, Vice President Harris has edged ahead of former President Trump by 2 points among registered voters, marking a shift following President Biden’s decision not to seek reelection.
The poll shows Harris with 44 percent support compared to Trump’s 42 percent, a statistical tie within the margin of error. This represents an improvement for the Democrats since a previous poll conducted just before Biden’s announcement, where Trump held a 2-point lead over Biden and was tied with Harris.
In a three-way race including independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Harris leads by 4 points with 42 percent support, followed by Trump at 38 percent and Kennedy at 8 percent.
Following Biden’s endorsement of Harris, there has been a noticeable uptick in Harris’s favorability ratings. The poll indicates 56 percent of registered voters believe Harris is mentally sharp and capable of handling challenges, compared to 49 percent for Trump and a much lower 22 percent for Biden in a similar assessment.
Harris’s overall favorability among adults has risen from 39 percent to 44 percent, with her unfavorability dropping from 53 percent to 50 percent. Meanwhile, Trump’s favorability remains steady at 41 percent, with 55 percent viewing him unfavorably.
Reacting to the poll, Trump’s campaign pollster Tony Fabrizio dismissed the shift as a “Harris Honeymoon” period where positive media coverage could temporarily boost her standing. Fabrizio anticipates this could energize Democrats in the short term, but warned against overestimating its long-term impact on the race.
The survey, conducted from July 22 to 23, polled 1,241 U.S. adults, including 1,018 registered voters, with a margin of error of 3 points for the entire sample and 3.3 points for registered voters.
