Here’s why the presidential race remains a virtual dead heat

Voters want to know more about Harris

The presidential debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia will be perhaps the most critical opportunity for Harris to reach voters that remain on the fence about who they’ll support at the top of the ticket.

In the Times survey, 27% of likely voters said they wanted to “learn more” about Harris. Meanwhile, only 9% of likely voters expressed a similar sentiment about Trump.

For the voters who indicated they wanted to learn more about Harris, nearly 7 in 10 said they wanted to hear more about the vice president’s policies and plans. An additional 10% said they wanted to learn “everything” about Harris.

So, in effect, Trump boasts a slender lead against a candidate who remains a blank slate to a significant slice of the electorate.

The Democratic National Convention in Chicago was a first step for Harris in emerging from the shadows and onto the national stage. But the debate in Philadelphia will give her time to articulate her vision for what remains the biggest issue of the election: the economy.

In the latest Times poll, Trump had a 13-point lead (55% to 42%) over Harris on who would be better equipped to handle the economy.

Trump, who has relentlessly criticized Democrats over the issue, has made it a centerpiece of his campaign.

Harris has begun to cut into Trump’s advantage on the issue in recent weeks, which had dogged Biden as a candidate. Other surveys, including a Financial Times-Michigan Ross poll released last month, actually showed Harris with a one-point edge (42% to 41%) over Trump on economic matters among registered voters.

That close result is just another reflection of the competitive nature of the race, a dynamic that will likely remain the same until November.