A new poll finding Vice President Kamala Harris leading former President Donald Trump by six points in the upcoming presidential election has shocked political insiders and experts.
The Marquette Law School Poll national survey found Harris preferred by 53 percent of likely voters while Trump was the choice of only 47 percent, according to a Wednesday press release. In May, the same poll found Trump leading President Joe Biden by two points, with a 51-49 split among likely voters.
Jenna Ellis, the former Trump attorney who took a plea deal in his Georgia election racketeering case, cast blame on the former president and his team.
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"If you’re mad about this, direct your ire toward the Trump Campaign," Ellis wrote on X. "If you’re in denial about this, direct yourself to a mental institution."
Trump's campaign found itself facing a novel predicament last month when Biden heeded calls to step away from the 2024 presidential election and endorsed Harris to replace him.
The Democratic Party was energized by the entry of a younger candidate who picked as her running mate a midwestern governor with a resonating message: that the MAGA movement is "weird."
But political spectators were nevertheless shocked by the swift uptick in Harris support.
"Holy crap," wrote John Marshall, founder of the influential liberal political blog Talking Points Memo.
Former Democratic pollster Adam Carlson called the poll an outlier, highlighting a sample size he described as "unusually small," then noted it is considered one of the best in the country.
Carlson described Harris’ net favorability rating increase from -20 points in May to -3 points in the recent poll as "nothing short of incredible."
"Harris maintains a national lead over Trump despite that she trails by double digits on the most important issue to voters — the economy," Carlson added. "Clearly there are other major factors at play in vote preference apart from policy preference."
