Harris now leads among group of voters that have reliably voted GOP in the last 6 elections
Vice President Kamala Harris' nascent campaign is still not yet a month old, yet she's already building a powerful coalition that includes not just Democratic constituencies, but even some Republican blocs.
According to Newsweek, one group that's now leaning towards Harris is older voters — specifically those from the Baby Boomer and Silent Generations. The outlet analyzed the latest national poll from Emerson College and found that while Harris is up 4% nationally against former President Donald Trump, older voters are trending in Democrats' favor. This is despite Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) and Silent Generation voters (born between 1925 and 1945) reliably voting for Republicans in every presidential election since 2000.
Emerson found that a majority of voters over 70 are now in Harris' camp by a 51-48 margin. This is particularly significant, as that bloc of voters was leaning toward Trump just a month ago, with 50% supporting Trump and only 48% backing President Joe Biden.
READ MORE: 'Obvious enthusiasm': Harris now cutting into Trump's lead with core segment of his base
The Emerson poll shows that older voters preferring the Democratic ticket may not be a trend. Newsweek reported that in May, a New York Times-Siena College poll found that Biden led Trump among older voters by a 48-45 margin, and a Fox News poll in June also showed Biden leading with voters aged 65 and up by a whopping 15 points.
With Harris now also scoring high with older voters, that marks the second such demographic shift in Democrats' favor. Last week, an NPR/PBS News/Marist poll found that Harris was also making inroads with white men, who are arguably the most reliable bloc of voters for Republicans. While Trump still leads with white men by a 51-46 margin, Harris is noticeably attracting a larger number of them than Biden, who had just 43% support from that constituency in 2020.
These groups, combined with increasing levels of support from young voters, suggest Harris is assembling a formidable column of support that could prove to be decisive in the battleground states likely to decide the 2024 election. Last month, Emerson found that 56% of young voters aged 18-25 were in Biden's camp. But in the latest survey, that level of support jumped to 65% for the vice president.
Harris is also proving to be the more likable candidate. According to Emerson's data, 51% of respondents held a favorable view of the Democratic nominee, whereas just 45% of respondents had a favorable opinion of Trump. The difference is even greater when analyzing the percentage of voters who have unfavorable views of the candidate, with 49% disapproving of Harris and 55% of respondents viewing Trump in a negative light.
READ MORE: Deep-red 'Republican stronghold' thought to be an 'easy win for Trump' is now a swing state
The election may come down to which candidate manages to edge out the other in swing states like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. But other states previously thought to be safe for Republicans may now also be in play given the energy surrounding Harris' campaign.
In Trump's adopted home state of Florida, for example, Harris is gaining ground despite still being down by roughly seven points. In November, the Sunshine State will not only be voting on the presidency and a U.S. Senate seat, but on a ballot question to protect abortion rights.
Abortion has yet to lose in any state since the Supreme Court's 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision that ended constitutionally protected abortion rights in all 50 states. This includes deep-red states like Kansas, Kentucky and Montana.
Click here to read Newsweek's report in full.
READ MORE: Trump now bleeding support in GOP-dominated state as more women voters gravitate to Biden
