Going into Tuesday’s debate, Harris and Trump are neck and neck in almost every way. The challenge for both candidates will be to focus on what matters most to the American people, instead of playing into unhelpful, divisive rhetoric targeted at their opponent. The most important issues for voters remain the economy (36%), immigration (16%) and abortion (11%).
On the issue they consider most important, 46% of registered voters trust Trump more than Harris, and 46% trust Harris more than Trump. A Napolitan News Service Survey of 1,000 registered voters was conducted September 3-4, 2024. The former president has a slight edge on voter trust for the top three issues, but his advantage on the economy and inflation is much smaller than before.
The race continues to be a tie, and a lot is at stake for both parties in tonight’s debate. A Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 registered voters found that 61% know the debate is happening tonight (up 17 points from last week), and 47% of those say they will definitely watch. That’s 29% of all voters, up 3 points from last week. Of those who both know it’s happening and plan to vote, 16% – 5% of all voters – say something could happen in the debate that might cause them to change their minds about how to vote. In a race that is essentially tied, that 5% could matter a lot.
These Napolitan News Service surveys of 1,000 Registered Voters were conducted online by Scott Rasmussen on September 3-4, 2024 and September 9-10, 2024. Field work for the survey was conducted by RMG Research, Inc.
