Harris leads opponent 44% to 42% in presidential race, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

MILWUAKEE — Vice President Kamala Harris opened up a marginal two-percentage-point lead over her Republican opponent after President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign and passed the torch to her, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

That compares with a marginal two-point deficit Biden faced against his former opponent in last week’s poll before his Sunday exit from the race. The new poll, conducted on Monday and Tuesday, followed both the GOP Convention where the Republican candidate on Thursday formally accepted the nomination and Biden’s announcement on Sunday he was leaving the race and endorsing Harris.

Harris, whose campaign says she has secured the Democratic nomination, led Trump 44% to 42% in the national poll, a difference within the 3-percentage-point margin of error. Harris and her opponent were tied at 44% in a July 15-16 poll, and the Republican led by one percentage point in a July 1-2 poll, both within the same margin of error.

While nationwide surveys give important signals of American support for political candidates, a handful of competitive states typically tilt the balance in the Electoral College, which ultimately decides who wins a presidential election.