Trump Pulls Ahead in Key Battleground States: NYT-Sienna Poll
Former President Donald Trump has gained an edge over Kamala Harris in three swing states, according to recent polling, in what serves as a stark warning for the vice president's campaign.
According to the latest New York Times-Siena College poll of likely voters, conducted between September 17 and 21, Trump is leading the vice president in the sunbelt states of Georgia, Arizona and North Carolina.
In Georgia , a state which Trump lost to Joe Biden in 2020 by just under 12,000 votes, the former president is edging his counterpart by 49 percent to 45 percent.
The last Georgia poll, conducted between August 9 and 14, showed the pair tied at 47 percent each.
In Arizona , meanwhile, Harris is trailing Trump 45 percent to 50, flipped from August, when 49 percent opted for Harris over Trump (45).
North Carolina , which Trump held in 2020, has similarly swung to a slight Trump lead, with the former president gaining three points to lead Harris 49 to 47.
However, as NYT highlights, the poll took place before news broke over Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson 's pornography forums scandal , which caused concern among Republicans over the potential impact on Trump's efforts in the state.
In what appears to be an ominous sign for the incumbent Harris, the polls found that voters were worried about not only the individual issues of the economy, inflation and immigration, but the future of the country as a whole.
Taken together, only 27 percent of those polled in these three states said that the U.S. was "on the right track," with 63 percent believing that the country is "headed in the wrong direction."
Some 44 percent said that the problems in the U.S. are so dire "that America is in danger of failing."
While Harris is leading Trump nationally, 48.4 percent to 45.5 according to FiveThirtyEight's latest estimate, together these three states are worth 43 electoral college votes, and could prove critical in determining the outcome of the November vote.
However, only 66 percent said that they were "almost certain" to vote in this year's election, with roughly 5 percent still undecided when faced with the choice of the two candidates, meaning there is still plenty to compete for in the sunbelt.
