New poll shows Harris’s lead over Trump cut in half in must-win swing state

Excitement over vice president taking over Democratic Party ticket may have softened, though other polling shows lead growing in the North Star state

Kamala Harris’s lead in Minnesota has been halved by Donald Trump, one new survey shows, despite the state’s Governor Tim Walz joining the Democratic ticket.

The most recent poll by SurveyUSA in conjunction with local TV networks KTSP, KAAL, and WDIO, has found that Harris is now leading Trump 48 per cent to 43 per cent in the must-win swing state.

Though still healthy, her lead has shrunk to five percentage points in the space of a month, having led 50 per cent to 40 per cent in a poll conducted between July 23 and 25.

The new poll surveyed 635 likely voters and has a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points.

“I think you see in the national polls that Kamala Harris is getting sort of a post-convention bump,” Brian McClung, communications director for former Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty, said in a statement.

“So the opposite has occurred in your SurveyUSA poll, but I think this is where we expect the race to be.”

Former Minnesota DFL Party Chair Mike Erlandson agreed, saying the 10-point lead for Harris last month might have been the result of excitement about a shake-up in the race with President Joe Biden dropping out.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Harris’s lead in Minnesota has shrunk (EPA)

“She’s in good shape in Minnesota, and frankly, the Democratic and Republican conventions happening, adding Tim Walz to the ballot, everybody’s paying attention now, right? So if I was those guys, I’d be excited to be up by five points in Minnesota.”

The poll showed Harris was leading among women (55 to 37 per cent), independents (42 to 35 per cent), and voters from urban areas (57 to 34 per cent) and suburban areas (53 to 39 per cent).

Trump meanwhile leads among men (48 to 42 per cent) and voters in rural areas (54 to 37 per cent).

However, surveys conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies and The Telegraph at the beginning, middle, and end of August show the opposite trend to the SurveyUSA poll.

They show Harris’s lead growing across the state from five percentage points to seven, and then nine points by August 29.