Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, despite some polls showing the former president ahead.
According to the FiveThirtyEight polling average, Harris is 1.8 points ahead of Trump in the polls, 46.7 percent to 44.9 percent. The RealClearPolitics polling average also has Harris ahead, though by just 0.3 points.
Although Harris is ahead in the polling average, recent polls in Pennsylvania also show Trump and Harris tied, including the latest Emerson College poll, conducted between August 25 and 28.
Polls showing Trump in the lead include a SoCal Strategy poll from Aug. 23, which put Trump 1 point ahead of Harris among voters, as well as a Fabrizio Ward poll from Aug. 21 that put Trump 1 point ahead. duel.
Jacquelyn Martin / AP
The numbers come after last week’s Democratic National Convention, which is expected to give Harris a boost in the polls. However, according to pollster Nate Silver, Harris saw one of his worst polling days on Thursday – something that was attributed to weak numbers for him in Pennsylvania.
“If he’s only tied in Pennsylvania now, during a period of stronger polling, that means he’s a slight underdog in November,” Silver wrote in the Silver Bulletin.
Pennsylvania has voted for Democrats in seven of the past eight presidential elections, voting for the Republican candidate only in 2016, when Trump won by a narrow margin of 0.7 percent.
Despite its history, Pennsylvania is considered a battleground state because of tight margins in presidential elections and fluctuating results in congressional votes.
It is also one of the most important swing states, because of its 19 votes, and the most likely state to be a tipping point in November, according to 538, which means that it has the highest chance of giving the winner of the Electoral College in the 270th election. choose.
In the middle of Pennsylvania’s important role in this election, the two candidates targeting the state, with Donald Trump set to visit Johnstown, Pennsylvania, there for a public meeting, where he is expected to address several topics, with a specific focus on energy.
“President Trump knows that Pennsylvania cannot take another four years from the incompetent and dangerous liberal Kamala Harris. The Trump-Vance Administration will Make America Great Again by unleashing American drilling to lower energy costs, preventing the invasion of migrants on our southern border, and restore America’s rightful and respected position on the world stage,” the Trump campaign said in a press release about the rally.
The visit will be followed by a campaign stop by Harris and President Joe Biden in Pittsburgh on Labor Day, Monday.
Trump has visited several times this month, holding a rally in Wilkes-Barre on August 17 and visiting York later.
The former president has also made it a point to highlight past events in the state, vowing to return to Butler County, where he suffered an assassination attempt during a July 13 rally. , resulting in the death of one person and the injury of two others.
Meanwhile, Harris announced his running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, in the state at a rally in Philadelphia. The event, held in the nation’s largest city, featured a rousing speech by Pennsylvania’s popular governor, Josh Shapiro, which drew a standing ovation.
Polls, including the latest survey by Emerson College and SoCal Strategy, show that statewide, Harris leads among independent voters, Gen Z, Hispanics and college-educated voters. Meanwhile, Trump leads among people over 65, voters with no college education and white voters.
Newsweek have contacted the Trump and Harris campaigns for comment via email.
