Harris edges up higher over Biden, but 2024 is still anyone's race
Ipsos polling shows Harris growing support vs. Biden, but Trump holds on
For the first time since President Biden dropped out of the 2024 race, we're getting a look at the pulse of the people when it comes to a potential faceoff between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Ipsos Public Affairs President Cliff Young joins Jim on "The Final 5" to show where the VP is gaining ground, and where Trump is remaining strong.
WASHINGTON - New polling from Ipsos conducted in the immediate aftermath of President Biden's withdrawal shows a competitive race ahead between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
The latest numbers show Vice President Harris with 44% support among registered voters, with Trump garnering 42%. While that remains within the margin of error, it shows a shift from a week prior, where Trump outpolled President Biden 43% to 41%. "Some other candidate" pulled about 5% support in both polls, with those saying "I wouldn't vote" dropping from 6% to 4% after the announcement, and "don't know" at 4%.
But the demographics is what's making the difference, according to Ipsos Public Affairs President Clifford Young.
"This is good for the Democrats," he tells FOX 5's Jim Lokay on "The Final 5."
"She does well with Independents, minorities, younger people, less affluent – those were all the constituency groups, all the demographics that Biden wasn't doing well in."
He's referring to a deeper breakdown that shows a marked increase in enthusiasm among voters in many categories between previous surveys that had Biden as the nominee versus Harris. While she shows major increases among younger voters aged 18-29, voters over the age of 60, and even male voters, there is no difference among Republicans who say they'd consider voting for Harris over Biden, those living in so-called "purple states," and the most significant dropoff involving voters aged 50-59.
In a breakdown of approval and disapproval numbers, Harris saw a 3% decrease in her unfavorability amongst all Americans since Biden dropped out. Trump's remained the same at 55% and Biden's grew to 59%. Notably, Republican vice-presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance saw a 9% increase in his unfavorables, but at 39%, it's still the lowest of the bunch. However, the percentage of voters who say they haven't heard of him is at 28%, nearly five times higher than those who say the same of Harris.
Earlier this week, a memo from Trump pollster Tony Fabrizi suggested that Harris would see an early jolt in her poll numbers. As for the ever-popular "post-convention bump," Young suggests that the days of major polling shifts after political conventions may be a thing of the past.
"I mean, expecting this bump right now makes total sense.... whether she has a convention bump or not we're not quite sure in this highly polarized world, those bumps are smaller, all right."