Polls move in Harris’ favor as voters look closer at Trump age and health

[RAY BOGAN]

Vice President Kamala Harris is riding a wave of momentum as the Democrats’ new presumptive nominee and it’s showing in the polls. A new Marist poll found Harris is leading Trump by three points nationally, both in a head to head match up and a multi-candidate race that includes independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 

Harris’ lead marks a four point swing from last month’s Marist poll which found Trump was up by one point, shortly after President Biden dropped out. 

It’s not just Marist that found Harris has taken the lead, 538, which averages the results of polls from multiple organizations, also has Harris up by nearly two points. 

There’s more bad news for Donald Trump. When Joe Biden was in the race, he was the older candidate, and the focus on health and mental fitness fell mainly on him. Now Trump is the elder by 19 years. That’s leading voters to take a closer look at his age and health. 

According to a Morning Consult poll, with Biden in the race, 44% of respondents said Trump was too old. Now that Harris is the nominee, 51% say Trump is too old. Similar measures have also gotten worse for Trump. Those who say he’s in good health fell from 58% to 52%. The number of people who say he’s mentally fit fell five points from 53% to 48%. 

One thing hasn’t changed since Harris entered the race – Americans don’t like their choices. According to the Marist poll, both Trump and Harris have a favorability rating that’s underwater.