This week’s latest New York Times/Sienna College poll shows Kamala Harris with a three-point lead (47%-44%) over Donald Trump. Looking at the attribute questions asked in the poll, Harris has the advantage on questions dealing with empathy like “who cares about me,” and change, while Trump leads on who’s the strong leader.
By The Numbers:
Empathy: Harris is winning on empathy measures. Forty-nine percent of likely voters said Harris “cares about people like you,” while just 41% said the same about Trump. Forty-eight percent of likely voters said Harris “would help people like you,” while 43% said the same about Trump. And 44% of likely voters said Harris would “help you personally,” while 42% said the same about Trump.
Strong Leader: Trump, however, bests Harris on who’d be the “strong leader.” Only 45% of likely voters said Harris” while 48% said the same about Trump.
Change Agent: Harris still leads on this metric. Forty-six percent of likely voters said Harris “represents change,” while 44% said the same about Trump.
The Bottom Line: This is race is still a toss-up because even though the economy is lagging, the world unstable, the border still in a crisis, and most Americans believe the country is going in the wrong direction, Harris has an edge on empathy and being the candidate of change. For the next 26 days, Trump must continue hammering the message that she’s more of the same, using her own words–that she wouldn’t change a thing Biden has done–against her and grab back the change mantra.
