There has been a major shift in the presidential race with President Biden leaving office and Kamala Harris becoming the Democratic presidential candidate ready to take on Donald Trump just over three months before Election Day.
Overall, the race is tied according to a new CBS News/YouGov poll. Nationally, Harris now leads the race 50 percent to 49 percent among likely voters. In battleground states, the race is tied at 50 percent.
While the two major parties’ candidates are now statistically tied, the picture was very different for Democrats just two weeks ago, when polls showed Trump with a five-point lead over Biden before he dropped out of the race.
The July poll also showed Trump with a three-point lead in a hypothetical matchup against Harris, but the vice president appears to have eliminated his advantage since assuming the top spot on the ticket.
Harris and Trump are now in a statistical tie both nationally and in battleground states according to the latest CBS News poll
If third-party candidates are included, Harris leads Trump by 49 to 47 percent among likely voters.
The shift comes at a time when Democrats appear to have closed the enthusiasm gap with the change at the top of the Democratic ticket. The number of Democrats who say they will “definitely vote” has reached its highest point this year so far, according to the poll.
Harris appears to have gotten a boost when it comes to black and female voters compared to when Biden was still in the race.
Seventy-four percent of registered Black voters said they would definitely vote, according to the poll. That’s up from 58 percent who said the same in mid-July, when Biden was the nominee.
When it comes to the gender gap, Trump leads Harris among men 54 percent to 45 percent, but when it comes to women the numbers are reversed: Harris leads 54 percent to 45 percent.
Voters see Harris as more forceful, focused and competent. Trump leads among voters in being seen as tough and effective.
When it comes to cognitive health, Trump, 78, no longer has the advantage he had when he faced Biden. Fifty-one percent of registered voters say yes, but 49 percent say no. Sixty-four percent of voters believe Harris is cognitively healthy. Only 36 percent say she is not.
When it comes to the key battleground states, All seven races are within the margin of error.
According to the CBS News poll, Harris and Trump are now tied in Arizona at 49 percent, Michigan at 48 percent and Pennsylvania at 50 percent.
In Georgia and North Carolina, Trump leads Harris among likely voters 50 percent to 47 percent, and in Wisconsin 50 percent to 49 percent. Harris now leads in Nevada 50 percent to Trump’s 48 percent.
Harris with Biden on March 26 in North Carolina. Sixty-four percent of registered voters said Harris and Biden are largely the same on policies, while 18 percent said they are exactly the same.
Despite the shift at the top of the Democratic ticket and the surge in enthusiasm, voters notably don’t see Harris as that different from Biden when it comes to policy.
Sixty-four percent of registered voters said Harris and Biden are mostly alike on policy, while 18 percent said they are completely alike. Only 18 percent saw them as mostly or completely different.
The Trump campaign rejected the shift in polls on Sunday afternoon.
In a memo, they argued that the shift was due to a methodological decision that allowed ideology to shift significantly. The memo claimed that if it weren’t for that, Biden would be leading 51 percent to 49 percent.
