Election 2024 live updates: Harris and Walz to barnstorm in Georgia; Vance to give remarks in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin
NBCAug 17
Poll: Harris, Trump Deadlocked as Debate Nears
Above: ABC News signage is installed in the media file center inside the Pennsylvania Convention Center one day before the presidential debate on Sept. 9, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Image copyright: Chip Somodevilla/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
According to a national survey by the New York Times and Siena College, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris are polling "neck and neck" less than two months before election day.
A day before Harris' first televised debate against Trump in Pittsburg, Pa., the poll, which ran from Sept. 3-6, shows Trump leading Harris by one point, 48%-47% — well within the survey's three percentage point margin of error.
The Spin
Republican narrative
The most obvious reason for this poll is that Harris' post-nomination honeymoon phase is over and the public is beginning to see her flaws as a candidate. As she braces for her first debate, she won't only deal with the fact that Trump is better than her on immigration and the economy, but that Trump is statistically likely to beat her on Election Day should he remain within a point or two in the polls.
Democratic narrative
Harris, as vice presidents have historically done in the past, has been forced to take heat for her boss' challenges but receive little credit for his successes. Harris has an opportunity to show that she's her own candidate with new and popular ideas. The American people no longer care about "Vice President Harris" — they're eager to hear how "President Harris" would uplift the country after defeating the bitterly divisive and dangerous Trump campaign.