Harris widens advantage over Trump among women in new survey

Vice President Harris widened the gap with former President Trump among women in a new poll that highlights a notable boost from a major voting group that could be a key for the Democratic nominee in November.

The ABC News/Ipsos poll, released Sunday, found Harris is leading Trump 54 percent to 41 percent among women. Before last month’s Democratic National Convention, Harris edged Trump out by 6 points among this demographic.

Trump, who has struggled with female voters, led Harris 51 percent to 46 percent among men in the new survey.

Pollsters noted the gender gap between Harris and Trump is now more aligned with recent elections. The gap has typically been about 19 points in exit polls since 1996.

The movement among women and men in the new survey occurred the most among white voters, pollsters found. Trump had a 13-point advantage among white women before the Democratic convention and now has a 2-point edge. By comparison, the former president had a 13-point advantage among white men prior to the convention and now has a 21-point edge.

Women are seen as a key voting bloc that has powered Harris’s successful presidential campaign rollout.

After Trump took office in 2016, women boosted the “blue wave” of Democratic wins during the 2018 midterms. The voting bloc was again galvanized after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending federal protections for abortion.

The new poll also found Harris did not see a significant boost in overall support following the Democratic convention, though she maintained her slight national lead over Trump.

Harris edged out Trump 50 percent to 46 percent among all adults and registered voters. When it came to likely voters, Harris led Trump 52 percent to 46 percent.

Those findings are similar to those from a poll in August, pollsters noted. According to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll before the convention, Harris had support from 49 percent of registered voters, while Trump had 45 percent. 

The new polling follows a series of other surveys showing Harris holding on to a razor-thin edge over Trump, who has largely dismissed the boost in support for the vice president.

According to a polling index by The Hill and Decision Desk HQ, Harris has a 4.1-point national lead over Trump.

The latest ABC News/Ipsos poll was conducted Aug. 23-27 and included 2,496 completed interviews. The margin of sampling error is 2.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.

Julia Mueller contributed.