Kamala Harris has pulled ahead of Donald Trump, according to a major national poll released Thursday.
A Marquette Law School Poll found Harris up, 52 percent to 48 percent, in a survey of registered voters. Among the Americans likely to actually cast ballots, her lead grew to six points: 53 percent to 47 percent, demonstrating just how successful her campaign rollout has been.
With third-party candidates added to the mix, Harris remained ahead, leading with 47 percent compared to Trump’s 41 percent and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s 9 percent.
ADVERTISEMENT
The survey is far from definitive—it was conducted between July 24 and August 1 and has a margin of error that would erase the gap between the two candidates. But Harris’ performance is a huge improvement on President Joe Biden’s.
In a May survey, Marquette found Biden and Trump tied at 50 percent among registered voters, with Trump outperforming him slightly among likely voters. Come July, nearly 9 out of 10 Democrats said that Biden made the right decision by withdrawing, and the same share said they were satisfied with Harris as the nominee.
The new poll puts hard numbers on the ‘Kamalamentum’ the vice president has seen since launching her presidential bid. For nearly three weeks, Harris has been met by cheering crowds and positive media coverage. At her rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday, a line of supporters wound all the way around the block hours before she was set to speak; 14,000 people eventually showed up.
Marquette also found that voters are finding Harris more likable. Although 50 percent of registered voters still had an unfavorable view of her at the end of July, that number fell from 59 percent back in May.
Furthermore, the poll showed Harris had advantages when it comes to her relative youth, her temperament, her absence of corruption, and the perception that she shares voters’ values. Trump had the edge when it came to his record of accomplishments and his strength as a leader.
