WASHINGTON: Kamala Harris’ lead over Donald Trump dwindled in the final stretch of the US presidential contest, with the Democrat ahead by a single percentage point over the Republican, 44% to 43%, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll published on Tuesday.
The three-day poll, completed on Sunday, showed the race effectively tied ahead of the Nov. 5 election. The poll had a margin of error of about three percentage points in either direction.
While Harris has led Trump in every Reuters/Ipsos poll of registered voters since she entered the race in July, her lead has steadily shrunk since late September. A prior Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Oct. 16-21 showed Harris, the current US vice president, with a two-point lead over former President Trump.
The new poll, which surveyed 1,150 US adults nationwide, including 975 registered voters, showed Trump with significant advantages over Harris on several of the issues voters consider most pressing.
Asked which of the two candidates had a better approach to the economy, unemployment and jobs, voters in the poll picked Trump 47% to 37%. Trump has had an edge on the economy throughout the campaign and 26% of voters in the latest poll cited jobs and the economy as the country’s most pressing problem, compared to 24% who cited political extremism and 18% who pointed to immigration.
Trump’s biggest edge in terms of policy could be on immigration issues, where he has put forward hardline proposals that include mass deportations of migrants in the country illegally. Some 48% of voters in the latest poll said Trump’s approach to immigration was best, higher than the 33% who picked Harris.
The poll also showed Harris’ advantage on the issue of political extremism to be dwindling. Some 40% of voters in the poll said she had a better approach to handling political extremism and threats to democracy, compared to 38% who picked Trump.
Harris’ two-point lead on the issue compared to her seven-point lead over Trump on extremism the Oct 16-21 poll.
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