Texas poll: Harris outpolling Biden, Trump still leads
Kamala Harris rejuvenating enthusiasm among Democrats
Democrats have renewed enthusiasm now that Kamala Harris is set to replace Joe Biden at the top of the presidential ticket. FOX 26's Greg Groogan talks to Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (D-Houston) about Harris and the FOX Texas trio discusses the potential impact Harris could have on races in Texas.
A new poll is giving us a first look at the presidential race in Texas since Kamala Harris replaced President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket.
Despite Harris polling better than Biden, former president Donald Trump is still leading among likely voters in the state, according to a University of Houston-Texas State University poll.
49.5% of poll respondents said they intend to vote for Trump. 44.6% plan to vote for Harris, according to the poll.
The same poll in June showed Trump ahead of Biden by 9 points.
"Harris has made considerable headway among voters both in Texas and nationally in the short time since she entered the race last month," said Renée Cross, senior executive director of the Hobby School. "That’s particularly true among younger voters, with 55% of Gen Z voters saying they will support her, compared to just 39% who backed Biden. She also has gained among women and independent voters."
Despite Harris’s gains, Texas remains a red state where Trump, holds a strong lead among men, white voters, and older voters. However, among Latino voters, Trump’s lead over Harris is slim, at 47% to 46%. A notable shift from 2020, when Texas Latinos favored Biden over Trump by a 17-point margin.
Overall, Texans still have a negative opinion of Harris (-3%), but that is much higher than her favorability rating in June (-14%).
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The survey talked to 1,365 likely Texas voters from August 5 to 16. The margin of error in the poll was +/- 2.65%.