(New York Times)
The 2024 presidential election has proven it can turn on a dime, leading to this question: Will we see more stunning developments between now and Nov. 5? It probably is too early to provide an accurate answer to that question, but it appears this year's race will go down in the history books? Why? Consider this report over the weekend from The New York Times (NYT). Under the headline "Harris Leads Trump in Three Key States, Times/Siena Polls Find; New surveys of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania taken this week offer the latest indication of a dramatic reversal in standing for the Democratic Party since President Biden abandoned his re-election bid," reporters lisa Lerer and Ruth Igielnik write:
Vice President Kamala Harris leads former President Donald J. Trump in three crucial battleground states, according to new surveys by The New York Times and Siena College, the latest indication of a dramatic reversal in standing for Democrats after President Biden’s departure from the presidential race remade it.
Ms. Harris is ahead of Mr. Trump by four percentage points in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, 50 percent to 46 percent among likely voters in each state. The surveys were conducted from Aug. 5 to 9.
The polls, some of the first high-quality surveys in those states since Mr. Biden announced he would no longer run for re-election, come after nearly a year of surveys that showed either a tied contest or a slight lead for Mr. Trump over Mr. Biden.
[On question after question, the poll finds that voters don’t seem to have major reservations about Kamala Harris, Nate Cohn writes.]
Harris and her running mate, Mennesota Gov. Tim Walz, certainly do not have a lock on the race. But they have made up a large chunk of ground in a remarkably short time. Lerer and Igielnik write, essentially turning the race on its head in roughly three weeks:
While the reshaped race is still in its volatile early weeks, Democrats are now in a notably stronger position in these three battleground states that have long been key to the party’s victories — or defeats. Still, the results show vulnerabilities for Ms. Harris. Voters prefer Mr. Trump when it comes to whom they trust to handle the economy and immigration, issues that remain central to the presidential race.
Ms. Harris’s numbers are an upswing for Democrats from Mr. Biden’s performance in those states, even before his much-maligned debate showing that destabilized his candidacy. In May, Mr. Biden was virtually tied with Mr. Trump in Times/Siena polling in Wisconsin and Michigan. Polling conducted before and after the debate in July showed Mr. Trump with a narrow lead in Pennsylvania.
Much of the newfound Democratic strength stems from improved voter perceptions of Ms. Harris. Her favorability rating has increased 10 percentage points among registered voters in Pennsylvania just in the last month, according to Times/Siena polling. Voters also view Ms. Harris as more intelligent and more temperamentally fit to govern than Mr. Trump.
One Michigan voter says character is the central issue in the race, and he finds Trump sorely lacking in that department:
Les Lanser, a retiree from Holland, Mich., who typically votes Republican, said he was considering backing Ms. Harris in November. While he disagrees with some Democratic policies, he said he could not stand Mr. Trump’s “disrespectful” and “unacceptable” attitude.
“Some of her character is real appealing to me. I’m not so sure I agree with a lot of her policies,” said Mr. Lanser, 89, who regrets supporting Mr. Trump in 2016. “But the alternative is just not acceptable at all in my mind — because character is everything.”
It's not clear that Harris' bump in the polls will be long lasting, but she seems to have established herself as a formidable opponent, one who has Trump befuddled. From the NYT report:
The polls offer an early snapshot of a race that was transformed in little more than two weeks. The whirlwind of political change seized the nation’s attention and reinvigorated some voters who were approaching the rematch between Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump with a deep sense of dread.
It is unclear how much of Ms. Harris’s bounce in the polls stems from the heightened excitement surrounding her ascension to the top of the ticket, or whether that momentum will last. Candidates traditionally gain a few percentage points in the days and weeks after announcing their running mate. Ms. Harris announced her selection of Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota on Tuesday, as voters were responding to the Times/Siena surveys in Michigan and Wisconsin.
Still, there is little doubt that replacing Mr. Biden on the ticket has turbocharged Democratic enthusiasm about the election. Among Democrats, voter satisfaction with their choice of candidates has skyrocketed since Ms. Harris entered the race, up 27 percentage points in the three swing states since May, according to the latest Times/Siena results. Democrats are now more likely to say they are satisfied with their candidate choices than Republicans, a reversal from three months ago, when the question was last asked.
[Follow the latest polls and see updated polling averages of the Harris vs. Trump matchup.]
Here's how one voter in Pennsylvania sees the race:
John Jordan, a Democratic voter from Croydon, Pa., praised Mr. Biden’s accomplishments as president and said he would have voted for him again in November. But his friends and family are way more “pumped up” to support Ms. Harris, he said.
“I believe that she is best suited to move this country forward,” said Mr. Jordan, 60, who works as a charter school administrator. “I’ll also take it one step further to say, I’m very proud to be part of this historic moment and to hope that, yes, she does become the first African American slash Asian woman to be in the White House. I think that this is just such an exciting time and an exciting moment.”
While Harris clearly has sparked emotions among Democrats to new heights, raw numbers also show the impact she has had on the race. Lerer and Igielnik write:
In the three battlegrounds, Ms. Harris is in a stronger position than Mr. Biden was in May with most demographic groups, including white voters without a college degree. She is faring better with key parts of the Democratic Party’s coalition that had begun to erode under Mr. Biden, most notably Black and young voters. But she also appears to be holding on to older voters, who were some of the president’s most ardent supporters.
The share of voters who said they trusted Ms. Harris to handle economic issues was higher than the share Mr. Biden received in May, though she is still nine points behind Mr. Trump on an issue where the Republican nominee has long held the advantage. And she has a 24-percentage-point advantage when it comes to whom voters trust to handle abortion, an issue considered one of the strongest for Democrats — in May, Mr. Biden held a 13-percentage-point advantage on abortion.
Mr. Trump’s attacks on Ms. Harris as “not smart” and “incompetent” have not landed with most voters. Nearly two-thirds of voters see Ms. Harris as intelligent, more than say the same about Mr. Trump. A majority of white voters without a college degree — a demographic that typically favors Republicans — said Ms. Harris was “intelligent.”
But the polls also indicate clear vulnerabilities for the new Democratic presidential nominee. Forty-two percent of voters said Ms. Harris was too liberal; 37 percent said the same about Mr. Biden last October. Mr. Trump and his campaign have tried to define Ms. Harris as a left-wing extremist from deep blue San Francisco who is out of touch with swing-state voters.
In recent days, Ms. Harris has disavowed some of her previous stances on issues, including border enforcement and fracking, as well as her support for a single-payer health care system.
Jonathan Ball, a floor installer from Jackson, Mich., said he believed Mr. Trump would do more to help working Americans than Ms. Harris.
“I think she’s more liberal. I just don’t think she’s all for the middle class,” said Mr. Ball, 46, who plans to support Mr. Trump for a third time this fall. “I just see her as one-sided. You know, for the rich.” (Mr. Ball thinks Harris is "for the rich," while Trump stands for the "middle class." Mr. Ball might be the one and only voter in the country to make that assessment. Must admit that I guffawed when I read that.)
The changes to the Democratic ticket have not altered the issues at the heart of the race. Voters in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania still rank the economy, abortion and immigration as their top concerns. Mr. Trump still leads on the economy and immigration, while Ms. Harris is more trusted to handle abortion and democracy.