New poll reveals why Donald Trump and Kamala Harris should pay attention to this secret swing state

Vice President Kamala Harris currently holds a two-point lead over former President Trump in Virginia.

New findings conducted by the University of Mary Washington show that 48 percent of respondents favored Harris, compared to 46 percent for Trump.

Virginians said the economy, jobs and inflation were their top concerns, but the state of democracy was also an important issue.

The university conducted the study ahead of the first presidential debate between the two nominees, which was widely seen as a victory for Harris.

Virginia was previously a Republican stronghold, but the Democratic Party has gained strength recently after President Biden won the state in 2020.

Stephen J. Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, said: “This new research suggests that Virginia should be watched much more closely by both presidential campaigns.

Virginia may deserve to be considered a swing state again this year.

“Given the divergent findings of Virginia surveys over the past two months, the Harris and Trump campaigns may be paying far too little attention to the Commonwealth.

“Virginians have a history of going back and forth between the parties.”

Previous presidential election results show Biden beating Trump by 10 percentage points in the state in 2020.

Four years later, we saw Hillary Clinton outpolling Trump in the state by five percentage points.

The state has supported Democratic presidents since Barack Obama first ran in 2008.

The last time a Democrat won the state before Obama was Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1964 election against Barry Goldwater.

A poll conducted earlier this week by DailyMail.com in partnership with JL Partners found Harris now ahead of Trump.

Harris is favored by 43 percent of voters, up two percentage points from the last poll on August 13, while Trump is favored by 42 percent, down two percentage points.

Trump has lost 17 points of support, erasing his lead in a crucial group in several key states.

The shift appears to be driven by huge changes among Hispanic voters. His support among black voters has also halved, from 13 percent to 6 percent.

James Johnson, co-founder of JL Partners, said the debate has helped Harris win three key groups since the DailyMail.com poll in August.

“First, the Independents: she now has a four-point lead over Trump,” he said.

‘Secondly, the 50- to 64-year-olds, where she has reduced a 16-point deficit to just two points.

‘Third, Hispanic voters, who have become less and less supportive of Trump in recent weeks.

“It’s hard to say exactly why, but the most notable political news of the past month was the debate, so that must have something to do with it.”

Latinos in particular were a key part of the coalition that led Biden to victory four years ago.

And Harris will likely need their votes in Pennsylvania, Nevada and Arizona to win in November.

Since unexpectedly entering the race in July, she has been fundraising and conducting polls.

However, there were signs that the honeymoon was over, as her popularity in the polls began to level off.

Against that backdrop, she came to the ABC News debate with a point to prove and a plan to get under Trump’s skin. It seemed to work.

She immediately ridiculed his rallies, prompting the former president to repeat a wild Internet rumor that illegal immigrants were killing and eating pets.

At times he raised his voice and seemed distracted from his own plan to shine the spotlight on Harris.

The campaign took a turn last week when police arrested Ryan Routh, 58, after he was spotted at Trump’s West Palm Beach golf course, where he allegedly attempted murder.