It’s only been a few days since Tuesday’s landmark debate that introduced Vice President Kamala Harris as the powerhouse candidate she is, while simultaneously exposing Donald Trump as old, bitter, and deranged.
Now we’ve got a handful of nationwide polls, and they’re all good news.
These are very early post-debate polls, and while they don’t show a huge change—if any—Harris is still up in every single one.
Morning Consult: Harris 50%, Trump 45%
Ipsos/Reuters: Harris 47%, Trump 42%
Leger (for the conservative New York Post): Harris 50%, Trump 47%
SoCal Strategies (for a Republican sponsor): Harris 48%, Trump 45%
Redfield & Wilton Strategies: Harris 44%, Trump 42%
Some pollsters also asked about the debate. Leger found that 50% of respondents who had seen the debate said Harris had won it, while 29% said Trump won it. When Ipsos/Reuters asked the same question, 53% said Harris won on Tuesday, and just 24% said Trump did. SoCal Strategies found 53% of respondents thought Harris won, while 34% thought Trump was the victor.
Which just goes to show that no matter what, there will always be a third or so of the American population that will remain dead-ender deplorable.
Two of the nonpartisan pollsters have Harris up by 5 points, while the two pollsters that have a partisan sponsor show her up by 3 points. Keep an eye on polls by partisan pollsters or done for partisan sponsors. In 2022, they consistently proved more favorable than nonpartisan ones to Republicans, as Republicans tried hard to maintain the “red wave” narrative. Same thing is happening this year, as Republicans will invest significant resources to game the polling aggregates.
I wouldn’t sweat it beyond being aware of it.
There are some who think that progressives will relax if they think Harris has it in the bag. Is having Harris +3 less motivating than +5? I don’t buy it. I think people love a winning team, and the bigger the lead, the more motivated we’ll be to finish strong. But ultimately, it is what it is.
Harris is doing great. Let’s win big.
