A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll indicates that Vice-President Kamala Harris has edged ahead of Republican Donald Trump by two percentage points, following President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw from the re-election race and endorse her.
The survey, carried out on Monday and Tuesday, took place after both the Republican National Convention, where Trump officially accepted his party's nomination, and Biden's announcement on Sunday that he was stepping out of the race and supporting Harris. Harris, who her campaign claims has secured the Democratic nomination, is now leading Trump 44 percent to 42 percent in the national poll, a difference within the poll's 3-percentage-point margin of error.
In previous polls, Harris and Trump were tied at 44 percent in a July 15-16 poll, and Trump led by one percentage point in a July 1-2 poll, both within the same margin of error. Although nationwide polls provide significant insights into American support for political candidates, the outcome of the US presidential election is typically swayed by a few competitive states in the Electoral College.
The latest poll also revealed that 56 percent of registered voters believe Harris, 59, is "mentally sharp and able to deal with challenges," compared to 49 percent who said the same of Trump, 78. Only 22 percent of voters shared this view about Biden, 81, who ended his re-election campaign after a debate with Trump where he often faltered and did not effectively counter Trump's attacks, which included false statements.
When presented with a hypothetical ballot that included independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Harris led Trump 42 percent to 38 percent, a lead outside the margin of error. Kennedy, who was favored by 8 percent of voters in the poll, has not yet qualified for the ballot in many states ahead of the November 5 election. The poll, conducted online, surveyed 1,241 US adults nationwide, including 1,018 registered voters.
