WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a new survey from The New York Times and Siena College, new polling shows Vice President Kamala Harris is leading over former President Donald Trump in a handful of key battleground states. The polls show Harris has a four-point lead in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, which are battleground states.
“We’ve got a competition now,” said Dr. Todd Belt, George Washington University Professor and Director of Political Management. “It’s game on.”
Belt said those three states are critical in this year’s election.
“If we look at this from an electoral perspective Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania are called the ‘blue wall,’” said Belt. Hilary Clinton lost them by a total of 73,000 votes in 2016. Biden won them back and they’re absolutely crucial to the Harris campaign in this election. If she gets those three states and take one little electoral vote in Nebraska then she could win without any other seats.”
The new polling shows a dramatic shift in the 2024 elections dynamics. Just a few months ago when Biden was on the ticket, polls showed he trailed behind Trump in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania but was barely ahead of Trump in Michigan. Belt believes Harris has brought a new wave of energy to the campaign and could possibly draw in young voters and third-party voters.
“It will be interesting to see if this new momentum for the Harris campaign continues or gets a bounce through the upcoming convention we have next week,” said Belt.
Belt also adds if Harris could secure other key states like North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia and Nevada, she has a good chance of winning the White House.