Quinnipiac poll shows tightening presidential race

A new national poll shows a tightening presidential race, with former President Trump outpacing Vice President Harris by 1 percentage point among likely voters, the difference being within the survey’s margin of error. 

A Quinnipiac University survey, released on Tuesday, found that Trump had 48 percent backing from likely 2024 election voters while Harris received 47 percent. Green Party candidate Jill Stein and Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver both got 1 percent. 

The poll’s results showcase a slightly different outlook than its previous iteration. In Quinnipiac University’s late August poll, Harris was slightly ahead, getting 49 percent, while Trump received 47 percent. 

Both candidates were tied at 48 percent in a hypothetical two-way matchup, according to the survey.

The poll found that both nominees had strong support within their party’s base, but Trump had a narrow lead with independent voters. The Republican former president got 47 percent of independent voters, Democrat Harris received 44 percent, Stein was at 3 percent and Oliver stood at 2 percent, according to the survey. 

Nearly two-thirds of likely voters, 64 percent, said they would like a second debate between the White House contenders. Around 31 percent of respondents thought otherwise. Last week, Harris accepted an invitation for a second showdown from CNN. Trump said during his campaign event in North Carolina that it’s “too late to do another” debate. 

Another new poll, conducted by CNN and SSRS, found a similar split among likely voters. In the national poll, also released Tuesday, Harris received 48 percent support, while Trump got 47 percent. 

Harris currently has a near-4 percent lead over Trump in the latest The Hill/Decision Desk HQ aggregate of polls. The vice president stands at 50.4 percent. The ex-president is at 46.5 percent. 

The Quinnipiac University poll was conducted Sept. 19-22 among 1,728 likely voters. The margin of error was 2.4 percentage points.