Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are essentially tied as they head into the final stretch of the presidential campaign, an exclusive USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds, as the Democratic ticket scrambles to command the strong enthusiasm of Latino and Black voters.
The survey puts Harris at 45%, Trump at 44%, a closer race than the poll found in August. Then, in the wake of the Democratic National Convention, Vice President Harris led the former president by 5 percentage points, 48% to 43%.
“I’m not too fond of either candidate, but if I have to, I’d vote for Donald Trump,” said Jacob Rossow, 24, a college student from Oklahoma City, saying it had been a difficult decision. He was among those surveyed. “I just feel that he’s been more clear on his policies and what he wants to do. I’m still unsure of Kamala’s plan for the country.”
The poll of 1,000 likely voters, taken by landline and cellphone Oct. 14-18, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
By double digits, voters said Harris hadn’t done enough to explain the specific policies she would pursue in office, 57% to 37%. Those who want to hear more include nearly 1 in 4, or 23%, of her supporters.
In contrast, those surveyed split evenly, 49% yes to 48% no, on whether Trump had done enough to explain his policies. Just 15% of his supporters want to hear more about what he would do.
In the seven weeks between the two polls, Harris lost ground among Latino voters, who now support Trump 49% to 38%, and among Black voters. They favor Harris 72% to 17%, a 55-point advantage that is well below where Democrats traditionally fare.
The margins of error for the small subsamples of Latinos and Black voters are plus or 9 points − a potential shift of up to 18 points one way or the other − and other recent polls show Harris in a stronger position, including a lead among Hispanics.
In 2020, Democrat Joe Biden’s victory relied on overwhelming support from both groups. A Pew Research Center analysis concluded that he was backed by 92% of Black voters and 59% of Latino voters.
Harris, who has been bolstering campaign events and ads targeting Latino and Black voters in swing states, released an economic agenda for Black men last week that included small-business loans and a promise to legalize recreational marijuana use.
The candidates’ standings overall continue to be defined by gender.
Trump leads among men, 53% to 37%, a mirror image of Harris’ lead among women, 53% to 36%.
