Trump and Harris locked in ‘statistical tie’ before debate

AFP | Washington

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The US presidential race remains neck-and-neck according to polls released yesterday, two days before Kamala Harris and Donald Trump hold their first — and potentially only — televised debate.

The latest polling confirms that Trump retains locked-in support from about half of voters, despite the Republican’s historic status as a convicted felon and his role in instigating the unprecedented attempt to overturn his 2020 loss to Joe Biden.

Harris, who only jumped into the race after President Biden abruptly quit in July, has rapidly transformed herself from a little-noticed vice president into a serious contender.

However, the polls show she has not made a major breakthrough, leaving the race a toss-up. A New York Times/Siena poll found that 78-year-old Trump is leading Harris nationally by 48 to 47 percent, well within the margin of error.

Swing states US presidential elections are decided by tallying the results of state-by-state contests, rather than an overall national popular vote, meaning that a tiny handful of swing states typically decide the balance.

The poll found Harris, 59, narrowly ahead in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania and tied in four other swing states — Nevada, Georgia, North Carolina and Arizona.

A CBS News/YouGov poll put Harris ahead by one percentage point in Michigan and Wisconsin and tied in Pennsylvania.