There has been a major shift in the presidential race as President Biden has stepped down and Kamala Harris has become the Democratic presidential nominee taking on Donald Trump, with just three months to go until Election Day.
Overall, the race is neck and neck, according to a new CBS News/YouGov poll. Nationally, Harris now leads Trump by 50 percent to 49 percent of likely voters. In the swing states, the race is now tied at 50 percent.
While the two major party nominees are now statistically tied, things looked very different for Democrats just two weeks ago, when polls showed Trump with a five-point lead over Biden before dropping out of the race.
The July poll showed Trump with a three-point lead in a hypothetical showdown with Harris, but the vice president appears to have lost his lead since taking the lead.
According to the latest CBS News Poll, Harris and Trump are now statistically tied, both nationally and in the swing states.
When third-party candidates are included, Harris has a 49 percent to 47 percent lead over Trump among likely voters.
The shift comes as Democrats appear to have closed the enthusiasm gap with a shakeup at the top of the Democratic ticket. The number of Democrats who say they will definitely vote this year has reached its highest point yet, the poll found.
Harris appears to be drawing more black voters and women than when Biden was in the race.
Seventy-four percent of Black registered voters said they would definitely vote, the poll found, up from 58 percent who said the same in mid-July when Biden was the nominee.
When it comes to the gender gap, Trump leads Harris at 54 percent to 45 percent among men. Among women, however, the ratios are reversed: Harris leads at 54 percent to 45 percent.
Voters see Harris as more energetic, focused and competent. Trump leads voters in being seen as tough and effective.
When it comes to cognitive health, Trump, 78, no longer has the advantage he did when he ran against Biden. Fifty-one percent of registered voters say he does, but 49 percent say he does not. Sixty-four percent of voters believe Harris has the cognitive health. Only 36 percent say he does not.
When it comes to the crucial states at stake, the races in all seven countries are within the margin of error.
According to a CBS News poll, Harris and Trump are now tied in Arizona at 49 percent, Michigan at 48 percent and Pennsylvania at 50 percent.
Trump leads Harris in Georgia and North Carolina among likely voters, 50 percent to 47 percent, and in Wisconsin, 50 percent to 49 percent. Harris now leads Nevada, 50 percent to Trump’s 48 percent.
Harris with Biden on March 26 in North Carolina. Sixty-four percent of registered voters said Harris and Biden have mostly the same policies, while 18 percent said they are exactly the same
Despite the shake-up at the top of the Democratic ticket and increased enthusiasm, voters surprisingly don’t see much difference between Harris and Biden when it comes to policy.
Sixty-four percent of registered voters said Harris and Biden have mostly the same policies, while 18 percent said they are completely the same. Just 18 percent saw them as mostly or completely different.
Trump’s campaign pushed back against the shift in the polls on Sunday afternoon.
They argued in a memo that the shift was the result of a methodological decision that significantly altered ideology. The memo claimed that Biden would be leading 51 percent to 49 percent if that were not the case.