Former President Donald Trump has made significant strides in a new NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, narrowing the gap with Vice President Kamala Harris and leading in crucial demographics.
The poll between September 3 and 5 shows Trump leading Harris by three points among independents, with 49% support compared to Harris’s 46%.
This marks a notable shift from August when Trump trailed Harris by 11 points in a similar multi-candidate race. The improvement follows Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s endorsement of Trump, who previously held 12% support.
Among Latino voters, Trump has surged to a four-point lead with 51% support, while Harris trails at 47%. This is a dramatic reversal from August when Harris held a 15-point advantage. The shift may reflect the stabilisation of Harris’s “honeymoon” period since her elevation to the Democratic nomination.
Harris maintains a slight lead in the overall national race despite these gains, with 49% support compared to Trump’s 48% in a multi-candidate context.
Harris’s edge expands slightly among definite voters, with 51% to Trump’s 48%. Harris also outperforms Trump among women by 15 points, while Trump leads among men by 12 points.
Harris remains strong among black voters, with 74% support compared to Trump’s 24%. On favourability, Harris holds a slight edge with 47% favourable to 46% negative, while Trump’s numbers stand at 45% favourable and 50% unfavourable.
When asked about candidates likely to support change and care about typical Americans, 52% of respondents favour Harris over Trump, who garners 47%. On ideological grounds, 47% of respondents view Harris as too liberal, while 43% feel Trump is too conservative.
In issue-specific areas, Trump leads on immigration (53%), the economy (52%), and the Middle East (51%), while Harris is preferred on abortion (56%).
As both candidates prepare for Tuesday night’s debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Harris holds a narrow 1.9 percentage-point lead nationally, according to RealClearPolitics aggregate polls. The NPR/PBS, News/Marist poll, sampled 1,529 adults with a margin of error of ±3.2 percentage points and 1,413 registered voters with a margin of error of ±3.3 percentage points.
