Kamala Harris Scores Independent Voter Boost in Three Sun Belt Swing States

Vice President Kamala Harris is the preferred 2024 presidential candidate among independent voters in three Sun Belt swing states, a new poll shows.
As Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, embark on a two-day campaign bus tour in Georgia, a survey by Emerson College Polling/The Hill found Harris beating Donald Trump among independent voters in the Peach State by 54 percent to 38 percent.
She also led the Republican nominee among the potentially key demographic in Arizona (51 percent to 45 percent) and North Carolina (48 percent to 46 percent).
In Nevada, the final key Sun Belt state surveyed, Trump led among independent voters, receiving 50 percent of the vote to Harris’ 44 percent.
In swing states, the margin of electoral victory can come down to a few thousand votes, meaning how independents vote in November may be crucial in determining who wins the presidential race overall.
Among the wider sample of likely voters, Harris had a slight edge over Trump in Georgia and Nevada, receiving 49 percent of the vote to her Republican opponent’s 48 percent in both states.
In Arizona, Trump led Harris 50 percent to 47 percent, and he led in North Carolina with 49 percent to her 48 percent.
The poll was conducted between August 25 and 28 among 720 likely voters in Arizona, 800 in Georgia, 1,168 in Nevada and 775 in North Carolina.
“The race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump continues to be tight, within each state’s margin of error,” said Spencer Kimball, the executive director of Emerson College Polling.
He added: “Harris leads Trump among independents in each state, with the exception of Nevada, where Trump leads 50 percent to 44 percent. There is also a stark gender divide, similar to that of 2020.
“In six of the seven swing states, Harris leads Trump among women, however, in Arizona, Trump has a 2-point edge on Harris among women voters, a group that broke for Biden by about 3 points in 2020.”
Newsweek contacted Trump’s and Harris’ offices for comment via email.
As for the rest of the swing states featured in the Emerson College Polling/The Hill poll, Harris beat Trump among likely voters in Michigan by 50 percent to 47 percent. In Wisconsin, Trump beat Harris by 49 percent to 48 percent. The pair tied in Pennsylvania, each receiving 48 percent.
The Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey was published the day after a Fox News poll showed that Harris was the preferred candidate among independents across the four swing Sun Belt states by 6 points.
The poll of 1,000 registered voters in the four states showed Harris beating Trump by 50 percent to 49 percent.
In Arizona, she led Trump 50 percent to 49 percent, while in Georgia and Nevada, she received 50 percent of the vote to his 48 percent. In North Carolina, Trump led Harris 50 percent to 48 percent.