Poll: Harris vs. Trump remains tight race in Nevada days before election

LAS VEGAS — A new Emerson College poll of Nevada voters shows Vice President Kamala Harris slightly ahead of former President Donald Trump, though within the margin of error.

Polling of 700 likely voters in Nevada shows Harris with 48% support and Trump with 47%, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points, making the race a statistical dead heat. Two percent of those polled supported a third party, 2% were undecided and 1% planned to vote for neither candidate, according to the Emerson College Polling/RealClearWorld poll.

That’s about the same as the last Emerson poll conducted in early October that also showed Harris with 48% and Trump with 47%, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.

Among the 2% who are undecided, 39% said they’re leaning toward Trump, 35% said they were leaning toward Harris and 26% said neither, according to the poll, which was conducted from Oct. 29 to Oct. 31. With those undecided voters accounted for, Harris’ overall support increases to 49% and Trump’s to 48.

Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in a statement that men and women in Nevada are breaking in near opposite directions. The poll showed men break for Trump by 9 percentage points, while women break for Harris by 8 percentage points.

Brown tightens the gap

In Nevada’s Senate race, Republican candidate Sam Brown closed some of the gap between himself and Democratic incumbent Sen. Jacky Rosen. The latest poll shows Rosen with 49% support and Brown with 45%. Four percent are undecided.

The last Emerson College poll from October had Rosen with 50% support, Brown with 42% and 5% undecided. The one from September had Rosen at 48% and Brown at 41%.

Kimball said independent voters are nearly evenly split between Rosen and Brown, with 47% supporting Rosen and 46% supporting Brown.

When it comes to Hispanic voters, 58% support Rosen and 35% support Brown, though Brown is ahead among white voters 51% to 44%, according to Kimball.

Getting into the specifics

The economy remains the top issue for Nevada voters, followed by housing affordability, immigration, threats to democracy and education, according to the poll.

Fifty percent of Nevada voters have a favorable view of Harris, and 50% have an unfavorable view. With Trump, 47% view him favorable, and 53% view him unfavorably, the poll shows.

Though Harris has a slight edge in overall Nevada voters over Trump, she has a higher lead when it comes to union support. Fifty percent of union households support her, while 45% support Trump.

President Joe Biden continues to have a low approval rating. Fifty-four percent of Nevada voters disapprove of the job he is doing as a president, while 36% approve.

Nevadans continue to approve of the job of Nevada’s Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo with 43% approving and 26% disapproving. Thirty-one percent were neutral or didn’t have an opinion.

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