- Harris saw a surge in polls ahead of Democratic convention
- Democratic voter enthusiasm waned in new YouGov poll
Vice President Kamala Harris may be coming back to reality after a boost in pre-convention polls, as voter “enthusiasm” dipped in a new survey.
Pollster Frank Luntz, who specializes in interviewing undecided voters, highlighted the statistic in an online post, in a race that is turning into a tie.
“Democratic voter enthusiasm in this month’s YouGov poll has dropped quite sharply (last month it was 70%). The honeymoon period is officially over,” Luntz said. declared in a post on X.
He was referring to a nonpartisan online poll that had seen Democratic enthusiasm peak during the hype over the Democratic National Convention last month. That came after President Joe Biden’s surprising decision to step back, bowing to widespread polls showing frustration with his candidacy and concerns about his age.
There was a steady rise in enthusiasm once Harris became the likely nominee.
Vice President Kamala Harris has seen a drop in enthusiasm in a new YouGov poll, prompting pollster Frank Luntz to proclaim that her honeymoon period is “officially over.”
In the latest poll from early September, Republicans have taken a slight lead in enthusiasm: 60 percent say they are “very enthusiastic” or “extremely enthusiastic.”
For Democrats, the figure is 59 percent.
In late June, a USA Today/Suffolk University poll showed Trump supporters were twice as enthusiastic as Biden supporters: 50 percent said they were “very enthusiastic,” compared with 30 percent for Biden.
In that poll, Trump supporters were at the same 60 percent, while Harris had 68 percent, more than double Biden’s.
The drop coincides with the end of the Democratic National Convention, when Harris was getting a boost of television advertising and delivered a well-received speech.
There are other signs, however, that Harris’s “bounce” at the convention may have cooled. A new set of CNN polls in key states showed a tie in Pennsylvania and a one-point lead in Georgia, while Trump is five points behind in Arizona.
In the latest Economist/YouGov poll, Harris leads Trump 47 to 45. Some polling models had her “bounce” slightly lower than expected. Harris enjoyed an unusual publicity boost in the days leading up to the convention after replacing Biden, which may have explained some of her anticipated “bounce.”
Nate Silver’s latest election forecast model Trump’s chances of prevailing in the Electoral College have improved since late July.
Harris received a boost in the polls after replacing Joe Biden
