OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The mainstream media largely praised Vice President Kamala Harris for her performance in the debate on Tuesday night, but the battle to win over undecided voters might not be over yet.
Several American viewers of the televised debate told Reuters that they are still not convinced that the Democrat is the better candidate.
The publication invited ten respondents who claimed they were still unsure about the November 5th election to watch the ninety-minute debate and then provide their feedback. Six voters declared they would definitely or most likely vote for Trump, compared to three who supported Harris and one who was unsure, in a startling reversal of what may be expected.
Many more stated that before they would contemplate voting for Harris, she must be significantly more serious about covering the costs of her expensive priorities.
With regard to addressing the exorbitant costs of housing and household goods, five respondents characterized the veep as “vague.”
“I still don’t know what she is for,” said Mark Kadish, 61, an entrepreneur in Florida. “There was no real meat and bones for her plans.” Robert Wheeler, 48, a security firm executive in Nevada who was previously leaning toward Harris, said her posturing and platitudes left him feeling more committed to voting for Trump who he said has actually proposed tangible policies to back up his promises. “I felt like the whole debate was Kamala Harris telling me why not to vote for Donald Trump instead of why she’s the right candidate,” Wheeler said.
The focus group, consisting of four women and six men, with eight White and two Black participants, is representative of varied segments of the undecided voter population in battleground states, despite the small sample size.
In addition, red flags were raised on Wednesday morning when more indecisive voters started telling reporters they weren’t that impressed with the vice president, despite claims from commentators and mainstream media that Harris had won the debate handily.
The 90-minute ABC News show primarily consisted of the two candidates throwing barbs with one other. Trump retaliated after Harris criticized his policies and leadership abilities.
Except a few remarks regarding the tax advantages for small enterprises and working families, Harris mainly sidestepped the chance to address specific questions.
She might regret using that tactic given that the campaign was exposed a few days prior for stealing whole policy sections from President Joe Biden’s website. Her website no longer lists her previous opinions, which included funding gender change surgery for convicts and immigrants and decriminalizing all hard drugs.
Reuters had a similar take post-debate, with a focus group of undecideds.
Let’s just say it didn’t break Harris’ way:https://t.co/DRAdPcN5Bq pic.twitter.com/zH0aQHLQAK
— Tim Murtaugh (@TimMurtaugh) September 11, 2024
Trump looks to have made impressive gains over Vice President Kamala Harris, gaining roughly 14 points among independents and 19 points among Latino voters.
According to new polling from NPR/PBS News/Marist, Trump, 78, surpassed Harris, 59, by three points among independents in a multi-candidate race, 49% to 46%. This represents a considerable increase since August, when Trump trailed Harris, 59, by 11 points, 48% to 37%.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who had received 12% of the vote in the previous survey, withdrew from the contest and endorsed Trump in the interim between the August and September polls. Furthermore, it seems that Harris’s “honeymoon” following her sudden ascent to the nomination has started to level out.
In August, Trump led Harris by fifteen points, 54% to 39%, among Latino voters; by now, Trump leads by four points, with 51% of the vote to Harris’s 47%.
“When Trump and Harris square off in Philadelphia, the stakes are sky-high because the contest is so close,” Dr. Lee M. Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, explained.
“Only single digits separate the candidates on most issues important to voters. But voters who value honesty are overwhelmingly for Harris, and voters looking for strong leadership are mostly in Trump’s corner. Will this still be the case on Wednesday morning?”
According to the poll, almost 70% of Americans said they would watch the debate, and 30% of registered voters think it would influence their decision on who to support. However, 69% of respondents say it probably won’t be beneficial.
In another encouraging development for Trump, he narrowed the deficit against Harris in a national contest by two points, with the vice president barely edging him.
In the most recent survey of those registered to vote in a contest with several candidates, Harris defeated Trump 49% to 48%. When registered voters were pitted against multiple candidates back in August, Harris was leading 48% to 45%.
