2024 US presidential polls: Harris makes gains on Trump in national averages

On 21 July, Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed Kamala Harris. This historic move changed the landscape of the election and how many felt about the race. As the election enters its final weeks, Guardian US is averaging national polls to see how the two candidates are faring. We will update our averages once a week, or more if there is major news.

Latest analysis: For months, Joe Biden trailed Donald Trump in national polls by a narrow margin. After a disastrous debate performance in late July, Biden withdrew from the race. In the span of a few days, he endorsed Kamala Harris and Democrats across the nation lined up behind the new nominee. A combination of the Democrats’ fresh energy and JD Vance’s poor performance on the campaign trail after he was announced as the Republican vice-presidential nominee saw the polls swing in the Democrats’ favor. By August, Harris began polling above Trump for the first time in the race.

Next week will see the first polls conducted after Harris was named the official nominee at the Democratic national convention, and we’re likely to see a further uptick in the poll numbers for Democrats. But the election is still weeks away, with more debates and potentially poll-shifting moments to come. – Will Craft, 23 August