Harris takes lead in three key states, new polls say

Harris takes lead in three key states, new polls say | Daily Tribune

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Kamala Harris now leads Donald Trump in three crucial battleground states, according to new polls published Saturday, apparently eroding the advantage the former president has enjoyed there over the past year.

The polls of likely voters by The New York Times and Siena College showed Democratic presidential candidate Harris leading her Republican rival Trump by an identical 50 percent to 46 percent margin in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Under the US electoral college voting system, those three populous Midwestern states are considered key to victory for either party.

Harris’ apparent lead is within the polls’ average margin of error of 4.5 points.

Nevertheless, the polls show a shift compared to previous surveys in those states which for nearly a year had shown Trump either tied with or slightly leading Democratic President Joe Biden.

Biden dropped out of the White House race last month and endorsed Harris instead.

The polling also showed that voters still prefer Trump on the key issues of the economy and immigration, though Harris had a 24-point advantage when voters were asked whom they trust on the question of abortion.

Trump campaign hacked

Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign said Saturday it had been hacked, blaming “foreign sources” for distributing internal communications and a dossier on running mate J.D. Vance.

Trump’s campaign implied Iran was behind the move as news outlet Politico reported it had received emails with the campaign material from a source who refused to identify themselves.

“These documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States, intended to interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout our Democratic process,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement.

Cheung cited a report from Microsoft this week that said Iranian hackers “sent a spear phishing email in June to a high-ranking official on a presidential campaign.”

Celine Dion took a jab at Trump on Saturday for using at an election rally the song she wrote and sang for the disaster movie “Titanic,” about the ocean liner’s sinking.

The Republican presidential candidate has been lampooned on social media after playing the 1997 track “My Heart Will Go On” at a rally in the US state of Montana on Friday, as a video of Dion performing the song was shown on a big screen.

Dion’s management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada, said in a statement on X the use of the song and video was “in no way” authorized.

“Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use... And really, THAT song?”