Harris Tops in Office Fitness & Personality

2024 Presidential Election: Kamala Harris vs Donald Trump

As the 2024 U.S. presidential election draws near, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris seems to be leading on several key personal attributes in the voters’ eyes. However, the incumbent president Donald Trump still dominates on a few issues central to the campaign. This is according to the latest George Washington University Politics Poll, which gives Harris a 50% to 45% edge nationally over Trump.

Kamala Harris: Perceived Strengths and Weaknesses

According to the GW poll, Kamala Harris’ nomination has helped the Democrats bridge some gaps in perception. Earlier in the year, only 37% of respondents believed Biden possessed the “mental soundness” and 33% believed he was in “good enough physical health” to serve as president. However, the recent poll indicates 61% of respondents believe Harris has the required “mental soundness” to be president, with only 48% saying the same about Trump. Furthermore, an overwhelmingly 82% think Harris is in good enough physical health to serve effectively as president, compared to 49% for Trump.

Trump vs Harris: Voters’ Emotional Responses

Emotionally, voters seem to respond more negatively toward Trump. Respondents were more inclined to report Donald Trump makes them feel angry (44% compared to 34% for Harris), disgusted (46% compared to 38% for Harris), and afraid (37% compared to 30%). On the other hand, Harris was slightly more likely to evoke feelings of hope (41% compared to 38%) and pride (37% compared to 33%).

Key Issues: Where Does Each Candidate Stand?

Despite Trump’s personal disadvantages, the voters express more faith in his ability to handle certain key issues. For instance, 52% trust Trump’s approach to immigration as compared to Harris’ 42%. Trump also surpasses Harris on the economy with a margin of 52% to 46%. Furthermore, foreign policy is seen as Trump’s strong suit, with voters rating him higher on dealing with the Israel-Hamas war (47% to 36% for Harris) and the war in Ukraine (47% versus 43% for Harris).

However, Harris leads on several other topics that have been central to Democratic campaigning. Voters display more confidence in her ability to handle abortion (55% to 39%), health care (49% to 41%), and protecting democracy (51% to 46%).

Party Ground Game and Voter Trust

The poll also revealed a stronger ground game for the Democratic party, with 87% of Democratic respondents saying they had been contacted by their party, compared to 75% for Republicans. However, there is a significant divide in voters’ willingness to accept the election results. While 85% of Democrats are prepared to accept the outcome, the Republicans are almost evenly split, with 48% ready to accept the results, 18% not prepared and 34% unsure.

In addition, the poll found that those residing in seven key battleground states trust their state elected officials less, although their views on local elected officials remained the same. This effect is primarily driven by Republicans’ even lower trust of state elected officials in swing states.

The GW survey, conducted by YouGov from October 10-24, incorporated responses from 1,795 registered voters as part of the third wave of a panel survey, which interviews the same participants multiple times during the presidential campaign. The first two waves took place in June and September.