Brendan Rascius | (TNS) McClatchy Washington Bureau
Former President Donald Trump now leads Vice President Kamala Harris by 3 points among independents, marking a dramatic shift from one month ago, according to new polling.
In the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, 49% of independent respondents said they are supporting or leaning toward Trump, while 46% said the same for Harris. Three percent said they’re backing a third-party candidate, and 2% said they’re undecided.
In an early August poll, Harris held an 11-point lead over Trump with independents — with 48% support versus his 37%.
In that poll, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was backed by 12% of independents and other third party candidates received 2% support.
Kennedy has since suspended his campaign, endorsed Trump and urged his supporters to back him.
Political experts previously told McClatchy News that his endorsement “could potentially boost support for Trump.”
In August, Harris likely also benefited from a honeymoon period with voters, having only been in the presidential race since mid-July, experts previously said.
The latest poll, conducted between Sept. 3 and 5, sampled 1,529 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points, meaning Trump’s lead is within this margin.
Other findings in the poll:
Trump has similarly seen a significant increase in his support among Latino voters since August, erasing Harris’ lead, according to the poll.
In the latest poll, 51% of Latino voters said they support the former president, while 47% said the same for Harris.
In August, Harris held a 15-point edge over Trump with Latino voters.
The latest poll also found there is a large gender gap in the support for the two candidates, with Harris leading among women by 15 points and Trump ahead among men by 12 points.
Trump is also leading with white voters, with 50% versus Harris’ 47%. However, Harris is receiving a larger share of support from this demographic than her Democratic predecessors. Biden garnered 41% support among white voters in 2020, and Hillary Clinton received 37% in 2016.
Among all registered voters, Harris is leading Trump by one point — 49% to his 48% — narrowing the race from August, when the vice president was up 48% to Trump’s 45%.
And among those who said they definitely plan on voting, Harris outpaced Trump by three points, 51% compared with his 48%.
The poll comes just hours before the two candidates are set to take part in their first — and potentially only — televised presidential debate. The debate, hosted by ABC News, will air live at 9 p.m. E.T.
The majority of respondents, 70%, said they plan to watch most or all of the debate, and 30% of registered voters said it will be an important factor in determining how they vote.
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