Can Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump? Latest poll updates

Vice President Kamala Harris is making a bid for the White House with running mate Tim Walz after replacing President Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket just a few months before Election Day.

Harris officially accepted the Democratic nomination last week. Meanwhile, independent candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr suspended his presidential campaign on August 23, endorsing Donald Trump for president.

While Kennedy’s endorsement could give some added momentum to Trump’s dwindling national numbers, it’s still unclear what independent voters will actually do.

Meanwhile, Harris and Tim Walz embarked on a new phase of their campaign, giving their first unscripted interview to CNN on Thursday night. During that interview, Harris declared that her “values” were unchanged, despite some reversals on key policy positions surrounding immigration. She also pledged to appoint a Republican to her cabinet if elected president and brushed off Trump’s remarks about her recently “turning Black.”

So how will Harris actually fare against Trump and his vice-presidential pick, JD Vance, this November?

Harris has a 3.4-point lead over Trump in the latest average of national polls, collated by FiveThirtyEight. On average, Harris has been marginally ahead of Trump in national polls, though the race remains tight with variation in swing states.

A new poll from Fairleigh Dickinson University also shows Harris beating Trump by seven points when race and gender are considered by participants.

“When voters are made to think about the race or gender of the candidates, Harris’ lead grows substantially; when they’re not, support is essentially tied,” the university said in a statement.

Harris has also surged ahead of Trump following last week’s Democratic