Harris, Trump see tight race in 3 swing states ahead of debate

Vice President Harris and former President Trump are neck and neck in three key battleground states, according to new polling released just days before their first debate.

A CBS News/YouGov poll, released Sunday, shows Harris leading Trump among likely voters by 2 points in Wisconsin, 51 percent to 49 percent, and by 1 point in Michigan, 50 percent to 49 percent. In Pennsylvania, Harris and Trump are tied with 50 percent support.

All results are within the margin of error.

Harris has a more commanding lead over Trump on the enthusiasm question among registered voters in their respective parties.

In Michigan, 89 percent of registered Democrats say they’re excited about Harris’s campaign, compared to 78 percent of registered Republicans in the state who say they’re excited about Trump. In Wisconsin, 87 percent of registered Democrats are excited about Harris, and 76 percent of registered Republicans are excited about Trump. And in Pennsylvania, 82 percent of registered Democrats are excited about Harris, while 75 percent of registered Republicans are excited about Trump.

These three battleground states are seen as critical to either candidate’s chances at winning the White House. The recent poll suggests there could still be some room to pick up voters, especially for Harris’s campaign.

Among likely voters who say they are neither voting for Harris nor leaning toward voting for her, 10 percent say they would or would “maybe” consider voting for Harris in Wisconsin. In comparison, 7 percent say the same in Michigan, and 6 percent say the same in Pennsylvania.

Among likely voters who are neither voting for Trump nor leaning toward voting for him, 4 percent say they would or would “maybe” consider voting for Harris in Wisconsin, while 8 percent say the same in Michigan, and 4 percent say the same in Pennsylvania.

The survey was conducted Sept. 3-6, 2024, and included 1,086 registered voters in Michigan, 1,085 in Pennsylvania and 958 in Wisconsin. The respective margins of error are 3.7 percentage points in Michigan, 3.5 percentage points in Pennsylvania and 4 percentage points in Wisconsin.