Among the six key states, the latest CNN-SSRS poll found Kamala Harris leading in two, Donald Trump leading in one, and no clear winner could be projected in three.
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According to the latest CNN-SSRS poll, Kamala Harris is ahead of Donald Trump in six key states.
Among the six key states, the poll found Harris leading in two, Trump leading in one, and no clear winner could be projected in three.
The states considered key states in the poll were Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Arizona.
Even though polls show Harris consistently leading Trump nationallyThe race is relatively tighter in key states. The poll shows that the race is too close in Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania and that the results in these states could determine the winner.
The United States does not have a national election system like India or the United Kingdom, where voters elect legislators at the national level and the party that wins the most seats wins. The American presidential election is centered around the Electoral College. Each state sends a fixed number of electors to the Electoral College, which has a total of 538 electors.
The American presidential election is therefore a series of state-level elections. The candidate who receives the most votes in a state wins all the electors in that state. The campaigns are designed so that the candidate reaches a majority of 270 electors. While most states are known to lean either Democratic or Republican, a number of states constantly swing between the two and are called swing states or key states.
These states are the real decision-makers in elections and experience the most fierce campaigning..
Harris leads, but Trump faces uphill battle
Although Harris is leading in most key states, Trump is not far behind.
The CNN-SSRS poll found Harris leading in Wisconsin and Michigan, while Trump led only in Arizona. The races in Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania were too close to call.
The exact results are as follows:
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Wisconsin: Harris: 50%, Trump: 44%
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Michigan: Harris: 48%, Trump: 43%
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Arizona: Trump: 49%, Harris: 44%
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Georgia: NO CLEAR WINNER
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Nevada: NO CLEAR WINNER
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Pennsylvania: NO CLEAR WINNER
In the three undecided states of Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania, as many as 15% of likely voters said they had not yet decided who to vote for, the poll found. Those undecided voters in key states could make or break the candidates’ fates.
In 2020, Biden won all six of those states, although the victories in Georgia and Arizona were fairly close – by about 12,000 and 10,000 respectively.
Even though Harris is ahead, Trump is doing better economically
As has been the case for decades, the economy remains the most important issue for voters, according to the CNN-SSRS poll.
According to the poll, about 39% of potential voters consider the economy as the main issue and preserving democracy as the second most important issue, at 25%.
The poll found Trump had an 8% lead over Harris on ability to manage the economy.
Trump also leads likely voters on immigration, while Harris, like Biden, leads on abortion and reproductive rights. Harris also leads in all six states among women, with 27%.
The poll also found that likely voters in every state believed that, compared to Harris, Trump’s policies were more extreme — so extreme that they posed a threat to the United States.