US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has agreed to debate his Democratic counterpart Kamala Harris on September 10. The showdown is set to be hosted by ABC, with additional debates proposed for September 4 and September 25 on Fox and NBC, respectively.
This will be the first face-off between the two rivals, with polls indicating a closely contested race.
Trump vs Harris: What polls predict
Ipsos poll
A recent Ipsos poll published on August 9, shows Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump 42 per cent to 37 per cent for the November 5 elections. This shows growth in her popularity since a July 22-23 Reuters/Ipsos survey, which found her up 37 per cent to 34 per cent over Trump.
In a separate poll, Ipsos found Harris leading Trump 42 per cent to 40 per cent in the seven states where the election was closest in 2020 – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
YouGov poll
A CBS/YouGov poll released on August 4 shows Kamala Harris levelling up with Donald Trump. She has erased Trump’s growing lead since President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid. The poll indicates Harris has a 1 per cent advantage over Trump nationwide, compared to Trump’s previous five-point edge over Biden. In swing states, Harris and Trump are equal.
Moreover, the poll shows only 51 per cent of respondents thought Trump was mentally capable of the presidency, compared to 64 per cent for Harris.
Marist poll
An NPR/PBS News/Marist poll shows Harris has a 51-48 per cent edge over Trump among key demographics such as Black voters, white women with college degrees and women who identify as political independents. Independent women voters are crucial swing voters. Harris has made significant inroads with this group, leading Trump by 9 points (53-44 per cent).
The poll also states that Harris has made significant gains in suburban areas and among white voters overall, which has helped her improve her standing compared to earlier polls.
However, Trump still maintains an advantage on economic issues, leading Harris by 3 points (51-48 per cent). Trump also leads Harris on handling immigration, with a 52-46 per cent advantage.
Meanwhile, on the issue of abortion, Harris has a clear advantage, leading Trump by 15 points.
Kamala Harris, who entered the presidential race on July 21 after receiving President Joe Biden’s endorsement, has selected Tim Walz, the Governor of Minnesota, as her running mate. This move comes after Biden folded his campaign and exited the race following a disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump on June 27.
Harris and Walz debuted their joint campaign at a rally in Philadelphia, marking the beginning of their bid to take on Republican Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, in the upcoming presidential election.
