Harris Surges Ahead of Trump in Post-Debate Polls as Race Enters Final Stretch

Several new public opinion polls show Harris leading Trump by 2 to 5 percentage points, though many fall within the margin of error. This represents a shift from earlier in the week when the candidates were nearly tied.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll, the first conducted after the debate, had Harris ahead by 5 points, 47% to 42%, with a 3% margin of error. In the poll, 53% of viewers believed Harris won the debate, while 24% thought Trump came out on top.

A Morning Consult survey of 3,317 likely voters conducted on Sept. 11 showed Harris leading Trump 50% to 45%, with a 2-point margin of error. Most respondents felt Harris had won the debate.

Similarly, a Yahoo/YouGov poll conducted a few days later placed Harris ahead 50% to 45%, with a margin of error of 2.9%. This was an improvement for Harris compared to a previous poll, which had her leading 47% to 46% in the week following the Democratic National Convention.

A Leger poll of 1,174 likely voters, conducted between Sept. 10 and 11, found Harris leading Trump 47% to 44%, with a margin of error of 2.72 points.

While national polls provide a broad view of the electorate, the state-by-state results of the Electoral College will ultimately determine the winner. Trump was leading in a new North Carolina poll, a key battleground state. According to a Trafalgar Group poll conducted on Sept. 11 and 12, Trump led Harris 48.4% to 46% among likely voters.