Former President Donald Trump has opened a lead in Michigan and Wisconsin, while Vice President Kamala Harris still has an advantage in Pennsylvania, according to a new poll from Quinnipiac University.
The shift in standing in the battleground states comes with less than a month until the Nov. 5 election.
Mr. Trump leads Ms. Harris 50% to 47% in Michigan and 48% to 46% in Wisconsin, according to the survey results that were released Wednesday.
Ms. Harris tops Mr. Trump 49% to 46% in the Keystone State.
The last Quinnipiac Poll, released on Sept. 18, had Ms. Harris ahead in Pennsylvania and Michigan and tied with the former president in Wisconsin.
“That was then, this is now,” Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy said in a statement. “The Harris post-debate starburst dims to a glow as Harris enters the last weeks slipping slightly in the Rust Belt.”
While their footing has shifted in the latter stages of the race, the little daylight between both candidates in the swing states falls within the poll’s margin for error, meaning that the candidates are still statistically tied.
But Mr. Trump’s advantages in Michigan and Wisconsin showed that small fissures could be developing in the blue wall states. Democrats have typically held an iron grip on the 18 blue wall states, which span from New England to the Rust Belt and along the West Coast.
Until 2016, Democrats had won each of those states. Mr. Trump broke that precedent when he was elected to his first term, winning out in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. President Biden reclaimed those states in 2020.
The survey, which included responses from 3,492 voters across the three states between Oct. 3 and Oct. 7, also showed that voters believed that Mr. Trump would perform better on the economy, immigration and conflict in the Middle East.
Ms. Harris outperformed Mr. Trump on the topic of abortion. Voters split on who would do a better job of preserving democracy, with voters in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin saying that Ms. Harris would better preserve democracy and Michigan voters saying Mr. Trump was better suited to the task.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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