Summary:
- Kamala Harris leads Donald Trump by 3-6 points in key national polls as the Democratic National Convention approaches.
- Harris’s late entry into the race has energized Democrats, closing the gap in critical battleground states.
- The Democratic Convention in Chicago will spotlight party unity while addressing internal and external challenges.
Kamala Harris, the current Vice President of the United States, is leading former President Donald Trump by a slim margin as she prepares to headline the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Two recent opinion polls indicate that Harris holds a 3-6 point lead over Trump in the race for the White House. According to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll, Harris leads Trump by 49-45 percent among registered voters and 51-45 percent among likely voters in a direct two-way race. In a broader five-way race that includes candidates like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West, and Jill Stein, Harris still maintains her lead with 47-44 percent among registered voters.
A separate CBS News poll shows Harris ahead by three points nationally, with a 51-48 percent lead over Trump. In the seven key battleground states, which include Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina, the race is extremely tight, with Harris and Trump tied at 50-50. These polls suggest that Harris’s entry into the race has reinvigorated Democratic voters after months of poor polling for President Joe Biden, who withdrew from the race last month due to concerns about his health and ability to serve a second term.
Harris has been actively campaigning in pivotal states, including Pennsylvania, which was a key state in the 2020 election when it flipped from Trump to Biden. During a recent stop in Pennsylvania, Harris acknowledged the tough road ahead, stating, “I very much consider us the underdogs. We have a lot of work to do to earn the vote of the American people.”
Meanwhile, Trump has continued his aggressive campaign strategy, targeting Harris on issues such as inflation and her stance on fracking, a critical industry in Pennsylvania. He has also launched personal attacks, ridiculing her laugh and calling it “the laugh of a crazy person.” Despite the heated rhetoric, Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, remain focused on unifying the party.
The upcoming Democratic National Convention, which begins on Monday, is expected to be a critical moment for Harris and the Democratic Party. Key figures, including former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and former First Lady Michelle Obama, are slated to speak at the convention. The event will serve as a platform to rally the Democratic base and build momentum heading into the final stretch of the election.
However, Harris is also expected to face challenges from within her own party. A group of Democratic delegates, known as “Delegates Against Genocide,” plans to protest the Biden administration’s support for the war in Gaza, calling for an embargo on U.S. arms sales to Israel. The Democratic platform released last month calls for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict but has been criticized for not addressing the Palestinian death toll or advocating for a halt to U.S. arms shipments to Israel. As the convention unfolds, Harris will need to navigate both external opposition and internal dissent to solidify her path to the presidency.
