Staff Reports
Former President Donald Trump continues to showcase his unyielding strength in the battleground states that will make or break the 2024 election, despite the anxious whispers coming from his campaign regarding the Democratic hierarchy’s shake-up. With Vice President Kamala Harris stepping into the spotlight as the likely Democratic nominee following President Joe Biden’s exit from the race, some inside the Trump camp are worried that this development could disrupt his lead. However, the latest Emerson College Polling-Hill survey reveals that Trump still holds the upper hand in crucial states like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, and he’s locked in a neck-and-neck tie in Wisconsin.
While the polls suggest a slight dip in support for Trump, the results are not as catastrophic as some Democrats might be hoping. A national survey from CNN also backs this up, showing Trump ahead with support from 49% of respondents compared to Harris’s 46%. This is hardly the death knell many had imagined. In Arizona, Trump registers 49% to Harris’s 44%, while in Georgia, he sees 48% support compared to her 46%. Michigan and Pennsylvania tell a similar story, with Trump leading just enough to keep a smile on his face, while Wisconsin proves to be a battleground for both candidates with a standing tie.
BREAKING Trump leading in key battle ground states according to the latest polling data. Notably, Trump has seen an increase in support among Latino voters, particularly in the 18-49 age group. Despite Trump’s surge in the polls, Biden's campaign remains committed to the race… pic.twitter.com/wrnbZQ0EsU
— David Pollack (@DavidPollackUSA) July 20, 2024
Young voters, it seems, have begun to rally around Harris, which is fodder for the left to celebrate, but the numbers don’t necessarily spell doom for the former President. Harris’s appeal to the younger demographic gained some traction since her campaign revival, but she still hasn’t come close to unseating Trump’s strong footing. Any gains she’s made, reflected in a few states, hardly spell a massive shift in voter sentiment that can be relied upon come Election Day.
Spencer Kimball, head of Emerson College Polling, mentioned that Harris’s numbers now mirror the support levels seen by Biden earlier in the year. However, considering the political landscape, translating those numbers into actual votes for Democrats remains an uphill battle. If numbers like this were good news for Democrats, they’d be flaunting them like a trophy, yet instead, they are desperately clinging to hope when even their own internal data suggests that things aren’t so rosy.
To add flavor to this polling stew, it’s revealed that Harris’s favorability rating is intriguingly better than her boss’s—though, let’s be real, the bar isn’t set very high. Her numbers might be on the rise, but she still finds herself swimming upstream in a sea of disdain, commonly known as “underwater.” It’s clear that while Trump’s supporters remain steadfast, the Democrats are still figuring out how to stay afloat as they navigate through the turbulent waters of their own party drama.
