Asheville residents are heading to the polls in ‘huge numbers’ after Helene
The devastation caused by Hurricane Helene isn’t stopping Asheville residents from going to the polls.
Republicans Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris remain locked in a tight race to claim promising swing states that could consolidate an Electoral College victory, according to new polls released by UMass Lowell/YouGov.
In the final days of the election, battleground states like North Carolina, Michigan and New Hampshire remain hotly contested for both candidates as they make their final pitches to voters before November 5. Polls not only in those swing states, but across the country continue to predict a tight race for the White House.
With the nail-biter of a race five days away nearing its conclusion, Trump and Harris plan to address their supporters on Thursday in Nevada, another key swing state.
Here’s what you need to know about the latest polls:
Trump leads Harris in North Carolina
Trump leads Harris by two percentage points in a new UMass Lowell/YouGov poll released Thursday.
The poll of 650 likely voters showed Trump with a 47% to 45% lead over Harris in the final days of the 2024 election. The poll, conducted from October 16 to 23, had a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points.
In a troubling sign for the vice president, 74% of respondents in the state felt the country was on the wrong track, while 57% somewhat or strongly disapproved of Joe Biden’s job as president.
As in many polls, the majority of respondents (49%) give Trump the lead when asked who they think is best positioned to tackle the economy. Most respondents also said Trump would be best to handle the conflict in the Middle East (48%) and immigration (52%).
However, consistent with other national trends, Harris came out ahead of respondents on abortion (50%).
Harris was also seen by respondents as more trustworthy (45%) and more likely to enforce the law (46%), while Trump was seen as more corrupt than his opponent by 48% of respondents.
Harris leads Trump in Michigan
In Michigan, Harris has a narrow four-point lead over Trump, according to the latest UMass poll.
The survey of 600 likely voters found Harris leading Trump 49%-45%. The survey, conducted Oct. 16 to 24, had a margin of error of 4.49 percentage points.
But while Harris remains in charge, 66% of respondents say the country is headed in the wrong direction — a worrying sign for the vice president.
Trump was slightly more favored than Harris when respondents were asked who could best handle the economy, 46%-45% respectively.
Other findings:
- 56% somewhat or strongly reject Biden;
- 46% said Trump could best handle conflicts in the Middle East;
- 57% gave Harris an edge on tackling abortion;
- 49% said Harris is more trustworthy, while 52% said Trump is more corrupt of the two.
Harris with a narrow lead in Pennsylvania
The UMass poll showed Harris with a narrow one-percentage-point lead over Trump in the key state of Pennsylvania.
The survey of 800 likely voters was conducted from October 16 to 23 and found Harris ahead of Trump 48%-47%. The lead was well within the poll’s margin of error (3.73 percentage points).
Respondents favored Trump when it came to which candidate could best handle the economy (50% to 44%), as well as address the war between Israel and Hamas (47%-39%).
Harris slightly ahead in New Hampshire
Harris’ lead in New Hampshire is slightly larger, at seven percentage points, UMass found.
The survey of 600 likely Harris voters showed Harris with a 50%-43% lead, with a margin of error of 4.38 percentage points. The poll was conducted from October 16 to 23.
Contrary to other polls, the majority of respondents, 47%, gave a slight preference to Harris on handling the economy. Yet more respondents still gave Trump an edge in handling the Middle East conflict (44%) and immigration (44%).
The poll also showed:
- 72% of respondents believe the country is moving in the wrong direction;
- 56% somewhat or strongly reject Biden;
- 57% believe Harris could better address abortion issue;
- 53% said Harris is more trustworthy and 54% said Trump is more corrupt.
Things to keep in mind when voting
The margin of error describes how accurately we can count on the research results being representative of the entire population.
When a candidate’s lead is “within” the margin of error, it is considered a “statistical tie,” according to the Pew Research Center.
Pew also found that the majority of pollsters have changed their methods since the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, significantly underestimating Trump’s performance.
Eric Lagatta covers the latest and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]This article has been updated to add a new video.
