Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris remain in a dead heat with just over three weeks left until Election Day, according to the latest national NBC News poll.
The poll, conducted from Oct. 4-8, shows Harris and Trump each with 48% of the vote in a head-to-head matchup, with another 4% saying they are undecided or won't vote for either candidate, the network reported Sunday.
Last month's NBC News poll showed Harris ahead of Trump by 5 points, at 49%-44%, but that result was also within the margin of error.
Trump fared slightly better in the current poll when third-party candidates were added, with 47% picking Trump, 46% for Harris, and a combined 7% either saying they were undecided or picking other candidates.
Harris, however, held a 6-point lead on the expanded ballot in September.
The current poll questioned 1,000 registered voters and carried an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
"As summer has turned to fall, any signs of momentum for Kamala Harris have stopped," Democrat pollster Jeff Horwitt, who conducted the survey with GOP pollster Bill McInturff, commented. "The race is a dead heat."
However, the poll shows that there is still uncertainty among voters, with 10% of voters still saying they might change their minds and some voters remaining undecided.
There was also an all-time high among voters who believe the election will mean a "great deal of difference" to their lives.
The third-party vote may also play a role, with the poll showing that Trump got a one-point edge when third-party candidates were included in the poll.
The numbers could also change based on whether the voting environment is more favorable for Republicans or Democrats, the poll showed.
If more men, white voters, and voters without college degrees turn out, an environment deemed more favorable for Republicans, Trump was shown to be leading Harris by 2 points, at 49% to 47%.
But if there is a more favorable turnout environment for Democrats, including more white voters with college degrees, women, or voters of color showing up, Harris came out at 3 points ahead of Trump, at 49%-46%.
All of the different results, however, fell within poll's margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, leaving the race in a virtual tie.
In other numbers:
- Harris led Trump among Black voters (84%-11%), younger voters ages 18 to 34 (57%-37%), and white voters with college degrees (55%-41%).
- Trump came out ahead of Harris with rural voters (75%-23%), white voters (56%-42%) and whites without college degrees (65%-33%).
- Woman supported Harris by 55% to 41% and men backed Trump by 56%-40%.
- Independent voters were also split, with Harris getting 44% and 40% backing Trump.
- Harris' popularity was 43% positive and 49% negative. Trump's numbers were almost identical, at 43% positive and 51% negative.
The top issues among voters are abortion (22%), immigration/border security (19%), protecting democracy or constitutional rights (18%), and cost of living (16%), the poll showed.
Harris topped Trump on abortion, healthcare, and being competent, while Trump came out ahead in the border, the Middle East, and handling the cost of living.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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