With President Joe Biden exiting the 2024 presidential race, vice president Kamala Harris now becomes the overwhelming front-runner to be the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee.
Ms Harris’ biggest challenge lies further ahead, though: she has been polling the same as Mr Biden – or just slightly better – against Republican nominee Donald Trump, according to multiple surveys taken before Mr Biden withdrew from the 2024 contest.
And Mr Biden was running behind Mr Trump in many national and battleground-state polls – which precipitated the president’s withdrawal.
In NBC News’ latest national poll, conducted more than a week after Mr Biden’s dismal debate performance but before the assassination attempt on Mr Trump, both the president and Ms Harris trailed Trump by 2-point margins among registered voters, though the actual percentages for each candidate were slightly different. Mr Trump led Mr Biden 45%-43%, while he took 47% to Ms Harris’ 45% in their matchup. Both ballot tests fell within the poll’s margin of error.
But other polls have shown Ms Harris slightly outperforming Biden by 1 or 2 points — though, critically, still trailing Trump at this point in some key matchups.
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