Kamala Harris continues to trail Donald Trump by large margins on economic issues, poll by the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal released this week found, as Haris has largely failed to convince the public that she will not continue the widely reviled polices of President Joe Biden.
When asked who is best able to handle the issue of inflation, 51 percent of registered voters view Trump as better, according to the Wall Street Journal. Forty-three percent say Harris. Trump’s lead is actually larger than it was in August, when the Wall Street Journal found that 48 percent said Trump would be better on inflation and 43 percent said Harris.
On the issue of the economy more generally, Trump is favored by 53 percent of voters and Harris by 41 percent, according to the Wall Street Journal. Those numbers are basically unchanged from polls taken in August and July, suggesting that the public does not prefer Harris any more on economic issues than they did Joe Biden.
That’s not surprising given that the Journal poll also found that 54 percent of the public think Harris will largely continue Biden’s policies. Only 41 percent expect her to blaze a new path. Among undecided and persuadable voters, Harris is seen as more likely to continue Biden’s legacy than depart by a margin of three-to-one.
The New York Times/Siena poll released Friday, the paper’s final national poll before the election, found Trump enjoyed a seven point lead on the economy over Harris. Fifty-two percent say Trump would be better versus 45 percent who say Harris would be.
The Times poll indicates that Harris has made some progress with voters on the issue of the economy. In early September, 40 percent said she would be better on the economy.
Harris has gained ground with Hispanic, black, and white voters—although the majority of white and Hispanic voters still favor Trump. White voters prefer Trump over Harris on the economy by 58 percent to 40 percent, a narrowing from early September when Trump led with 62 percent to 35 percent. Fifty-one percent of Hispanic voters say they think Trump would do a better job, compared with 42 percent for Harris. The early September poll had Hispanics preferring Trump to Harris 59 percent to 36 percent.
Black voters have always favored Harris, as they have favored Democrats in most presidential elections in recent decades. In the September Times poll, 69 percent of black voters said they thought Harris would do a better job and 26 percent said Trump would. In the latest poll, Harris gets 79 percent support and Trump 15 percent.
Harris has also improved her standing with white, non-college voters, a core constituency for Trump. While these voters still overwhelmingly favor Trump, Harris has made some progress. In September, just 26 percent said Kamala would be better for the economy. The most recent poll has her at 32 percent.
The number’s highlight the challenge Harris faces and the big advantage Trump has based on the fact that so many voters say inflation and the economy are their top issues in this election. Even after building support in September and October, Harris still lags far behind Trump on the economy.
