According to a report from REUTERS, Vice President Kamala Harris has narrowed the gap with her Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, according to a series of recent polls.
The news comes as Harris takes her campaign blitz to the American Federation of Teachers, where she promised a “fight for the future.”
The 59-year-old Harris, who emerged as the successor to the 81-year-old President Joe Biden after he decided not to seek reelection, has shaken up a stagnant presidential race with her swift rise to the Democratic ticket.
In her address to the teachers’ union in Houston, Harris focused on economic policy and workers’ rights, touting plans for affordable healthcare and child care, and criticizing Republicans for blocking gun limits in the wake of school shootings.
“Ours is a fight for the future,” Harris told a crowd of about 3,500 people.
“We are in a fight for our most fundamental freedoms. And to this room of leaders, I say: Bring it on.”
The momentum behind Harris’ campaign has been further bolstered by a series of polls conducted since Biden’s withdrawal from the race.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll, as well as a New York Times/Siena College national poll, show Harris and Trump beginning their head-to-head contest on roughly equal footing, setting the stage for a close-fought campaign over the next three-and-a-half months.
The New York Times/Siena College poll found that Trump was ahead of Harris 48% to 46% among registered voters, compared with a lead of 49% to 41% over Biden in early July, following Biden’s disastrous debate performance that led to a wave of Democratic calls for him to step aside as candidate.
An Emerson College/The Hill poll also found that Harris had begun to close the gap with Trump in five critical battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
While Trump still narrowly leads Harris in all but Wisconsin, which is tied, the polls suggest that the former president has not seen the expected bump in support following last week’s Republican National Convention.
In response to Harris’ growing momentum, Trump has launched a blistering attack on the former prosecutor, branding her as a “Marxist” and a “radical left” candidate.
“We’re not ready for a Marxist President, and Lyin’ Kamala Harris is a RADICAL LEFT MARXIST, AND WORSE!” Trump posted on his social media platform on Thursday….Seē _ Morē