Vice President Kamala Harris saw no significant increase in support following her formal nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate during the Democratic National Convention (DNC), according to a recent ABC News/Ipsos poll.
The poll, conducted from August 23-27 with a sample of 2,496 adults, reveals that the race between Harris and former President Donald Trump remains largely unchanged despite the Democratic National Convention.
No Bounce for Harris
The poll found that 50% of respondents favored Harris, while 46% supported Trump. Among likely voters, Harris’s lead increased slightly to 52% compared to Trump’s 46%.
However, this slight edge does not represent the significant post-convention “bounce” that presidential candidates often experience after such events.
ABC News’s Gary Langer, who analyzed the poll results, noted that the race between Harris and Trump remains tight. “The race between them remains close, with no overall bounce in support for Harris out of her nominating convention,” Langer stated.
Trump Leads in Key Issues
On key issues, Trump held a clear advantage among all adults surveyed.
The poll showed that more people trusted Trump to handle the economy, inflation, immigration, and the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
Harris, on the other hand, was viewed more favorably on issues such as race relations, abortion, and health care. The two candidates were tied when it came to crime and safety.
Gender-Based Support
The poll also highlighted shifts in gender-based support.
Harris managed to increase her lead among female voters by 13 percentage points, yet her support among male voters dropped. Before the DNC, men favored Harris by a small margin (49%-46%), but after the convention, Trump gained the upper hand, with 51% of men now supporting him compared to Harris’s 46%.
Locked-In Race
The lack of a convention bounce for Harris suggests a highly polarized and “locked-in” race.
Interestingly, this mirrors the result of Trump’s campaign after the Republican National Convention in July, where he also did not see a boost in support.
It remains to be seen how the ABC presidential debate on September 10 will affect the polls.