2024 US Presidential Election: Harris Gains Momentum After Televised Debate

Trump Refuses Further Debate, Harris Urges Another Discussion

United States Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President Kamala Harris has slightly widened the gap with Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump in the first national opinion poll conducted after the televised debate on the 10th (local time).

Although Candidate Harris’ victory in the televised debate did not cause a split in Candidate Trump’s support base, it is evaluated that he had some success in targeting swing voters who had no support for the candidate. However, there are comments that candidate Trump still has the upper hand in the seven battleground states, so it is noted that neither side can be optimistic.

Harris’ Approval Rating Increases After Debate

According to a poll of 1,405 registered voters across the country conducted by Reuters and Ipsos, a public opinion research firm, on the 11th and 12th, when they were asked, “If the election were held today, for whom would you vote?” candidate Harris received 42% of the vote, while candidate Trump received 41%.

Analysis shows that the results of this survey reflect the influence of candidate Harris’ performance in the televised debate held on the night of the 10th. In particular, the Harris camp is encouraged by the fact that the number of voters who chose a third candidate or did not respond dropped from 14% last month to 11% this month, increasing Harris’ approval rating by 2 percentage points.

Trump Refuses Third Debate, Harris Urges Another Discussion

Candidate Trump said, “I won the previous two debates, so there’s no need for another debate.” Candidate Harris pressed her opponent at a campaign rally in battleground state North Carolina on the 12th, saying, “We owe it to the voters to have one more debate.”

Candidate Harris urged people to be wary of optimism despite winning the televised debate. At a campaign rally in Charlotte, eastern North Carolina, he said, “We are still the underdog,” and urged, “We must compete fiercely until the end.” As for candidate Trump, he criticized, “We cannot allow someone who wants to destroy the Constitution to become president again.”