Four key takeaways from Kamala Harris’ CNN interview
Kamala Harris talks about how she learned of Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race, and Tim Walz comments on his son’s viral moment at the party convention.
WASHINGTON – Daigre Thomas was “undecided” about voting in November until Kamala Harris replaced President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket.
Now the newly motivated health care worker from Connecticut is ready to cast her vote for the vice presidency – part of a significant voter shift toward Harris among blacks, Hispanics and low-income Americans, according to a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll.
Low-income voters – those who earn less than $20,000 a year – now support Harris over former President Donald Trump by 58% to 35%, the largest gain of any group, the poll found. This is a reversal from June, when Trump, at 39%, was three percentage points ahead of Biden, who got 36% among voters in this income group.
Overall, according to the poll, Harris is ahead of Trump by 48 percent to 43 percent. The margin of error is 3.1 percent.
Thomas, who is black, said Harris’s childhood in a working-class neighborhood is a reason for optimism. “We don’t have to tell her anything. She knows what’s going on,” she said. “She’s part of us, so I think she’ll look out for us, especially the kids.”
While Harris has been sparing in her policy details, she has discussed plans to improve housing affordability, increase the child care tax credit and address what she sees as excessive food price pressures.
More: Harris unveils positive economic policy. Experts speak out.
Kamala Harris gains popularity among younger voters
The poll’s overall results reflect an eight percentage point turnaround in the race since late June, when Trump was ahead of Biden. Over the course of the year, Biden has trailed Trump by anywhere from half a percentage point to nearly four percentage points.
Harris’ narrow lead is driven by demographic groups such as black and Hispanic voters. In addition to low-income voters, Harris is also popular with middle-income voters, those who earn less than $50,000. In this group, the poll puts Harris three percentage points ahead of Trump, 47% to 44%.
Those earning less than $20,000 a year tend to be very young voters – those just entering the workforce or finishing college – or older voters on a fixed income, says David Paleologos, director of the Center for Policy Research at Suffolk University.
Harris’ approval rating among this group rose 16 points, from 37% in June to 53% in August.
The Democratic convention gave voters an opportunity to learn more about Harris and helped raise Harris’s profile, Paleologos said. Since the poll was conducted after the convention, that explains some of the gains in Harris’ popularity, he said.
More: Harris draws parallels to Obama as young voters await the chance to be part of a historic first
“The older people who may be sitting at home watching television are shaped by Michelle Obama and Bill Clinton’s views of them,” he said.
Harris’ team’s clever use of social media helped generate buzz among younger voters, Paleologos said.
Black voters also seem enthusiastic about Harris’ candidacy. Their support for Harris rose by 17 percentage points compared to Biden, from 47 to 64 percent.
However, the biggest increase was among lower-income voters.
Two months ago, John Pike, a retiree from Madison, Wisconsin, who earns $18,000 a year, had no intention of running in the presidential election.
Pike, a registered Democrat, said he was “disillusioned and disappointed” with his options.
“The choice was between Joseph Biden and Donald Trump, and I didn’t feel like either of them was a very good choice,” he said.
“Kamala Harris seems like a very intelligent woman. She was a very capable prosecutor, a very capable district attorney and a good vice president,” he said. “And I think she will be a very good president.”
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @SwapnaVenugopal
