Polls taken after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on Sunday show that Vice President Kamala Harris has made up much of the ground lost in the past few disastrous weeks for Democrats, excitement over her candidacy resulting in her now pulling roughly even or better against former President Donald Trump in national and swing-state surveys.
A poll by Morning Consult, released Thursday, gives Harris a 1-point lead over Trump, compared to Biden's 4-point deficit in the last Morning Consult survey, taken when president was still in the race.
Thanks to the Electoral College, November's election will be decided by a number of swing states along the Rust and Sun Belts where Harris, while still generally trailing Trump, has made a significant advance from Biden's collapsing position.
A poll conducted by Emerson College and The Hill, released Thursday, shows Trump leading Harris by 5 points in Arizona (49-44), 2 points in Georgia (48-46), 1 point in Michigan (46-45), and 2 points in Pennsylvania (48-46); the two candidates tied in Wisconsin (47-47). That a significant improvement for Democrats, with Harris outperforming Biden by 5 points in Georgia, 4 points in Arizona and Wisconsin, and 3 points in Michigan and Pennsylvania.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released earlier this week, meanwhile, found that Harris enjoys a 2-point lead over Trump, nationally, a marked improvement from Biden, who was 2 points under, although both were within the survey's margin of error. The poll found that most voters believe that Harris is "mentally sharp," a concern that had hovered over Biden for years and then was vastly amplified following his debate with Trump in June.
Harris has more work to do, but the trends are pointing in the right direction. She may be helped by a so-called "honeymoon" period amid positive media coverage and relief by some voters over Biden stepping aside for a younger, more energetic candidate.
Even the Trump campaign is acknowledging that it's losing ground.
“Given what has happened over the past couple of days and her impending VP choice, there is no question that Harris will get her bump earlier than the Democratic Convention,” Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio wrote in a memo this week that was shared with reporters. “And that bump is likely to start showing itself over the next few days and will last a while until the race settles back down.”
