Vice President Kamala Harris is closing in on former President Donald Trump in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada according to the Cook Political Report, which has shifted its ratings in those states toward Harris since last month.
In July, Cook rated all three states as "lean Republican," but polls following President Joe Biden's decision to suspend his campaign and his endorsement of Harris in his stead, show that the vice president has begun to close the gap that Trump held over Biden in previous surveys.
"For the first time in a long time, Democrats are united and energized, while Republicans are on their heels. Unforced errors from both Trump and his vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance have shifted the media spotlight from Biden's age to Trump's liabilities," Amy Walter, the outlet's publisher and editor-in-chief, wrote on Thursday. "In other words, the presidential contest has moved from one that was Trump's to lose to a much more competitive contest."
Cook notes that Trump held single-digit advantages over Biden in several polls conducted in major swing states prior to July 21, the day Biden announced his withdrawal from the election, but is now neck and neck with Harris in those same states.
Trump's average lead in Georgia dropped from 5.9 points to just 1 point, according to Cook, while his average lead in Arizona of 5.5 points fell to 1.9 points.
"Republicans argue that Harris is on a sugar high that will be hard to sustain for more than 90 straight days, especially once the conversation turns away from the things Harris can control [a vice president roll-out and the DNC programming], to things she can't," like perceptions about the state of inflation and frustration with the status quo, Walter added.
She wrote that the "bottom line" is that "things look a lot better for Democrats today than they did a few weeks ago, but Trump is looking stronger now than he did in 2020. This is a toss up."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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