Poll reveals whether Trump or Democrats benefited more from Biden’s departure

New polls show that former President Donald Trump would have been better off if President Joe Biden had remained at the top of the Democratic ticket. A new CNN/SSRS poll found that Trump’s 6-point lead over Biden has narrowed to 3 points now that his rival is Vice President Kamala Harris — with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 points.

Pollsters surveyed the same group of registered voters as in April or June to gauge real changes in the mood of the electorate. They found that Harris retained 95 percent of voters who said they would vote for Biden in the fall, while Trump retained 92 percent of his supporters in this new matchup.

Of those who previously said they would support neither Biden nor Trump in a two-way race, 30 percent are now split for Harris and 27 percent for Trump, with the remainder saying they would still support someone else. Seventy-four percent of Trump supporters say their vote is a vote for Trump — not a vote against Harris.

That number is up from 66 percent in June. Since then, Trump has survived an assassination attempt and wrapped up his four-day nominating convention last week in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. On the Democratic side, much of the support this cycle has been motivated by a dislike of Trump.

However, the new poll found that 50 percent of those supporting Harris say their vote was for her rather than against Trump. When Biden supporters were asked the same question in June, just 37 percent said they voted for the president in support of him — while the rest said their vote was to prevent Trump from serving a second term.

Democratic voters generally supported the party’s rush to endorse Harris, who Biden endorsed as he walked out the door. The poll found that 76 percent said the Democratic Party should nominate Harris for president.

Only 6 percent expressed support for specific alternative candidates. Four in 10 Democratic-leaning voters said Harris should focus on attracting undecided voters when choosing a running mate.

The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Harris’ team has requested screening materials from swing state and Midwestern Democrats, including Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Only 11 percent said it is extremely important that Harris choose a male running mate. If elected, she would be the first female president and the first female president of color. The poll was conducted July 22-23 after Biden had withdrawn from the presidential race.

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