Harris, Trump neck and neck in new poll taken after Biden exit

Former President Trump holds only a single point lead over Vice President Harris in a new poll of the presidential race published Tuesday, showing the race remains close as Democrats change their likely nominee.

The Marist poll, in partnership with NPR and PBS, found Trump with 46 percent support and Harris with 45 percent support nationally, with about 9 percent of respondents undecided. With third-party candidates included, the Harris and Trump are tied.

“Looking at the toplines after all that’s transpired this month, even though the names have changed, the contest for president all looks very familiar,” Marist polling director Lee Miringoff said in a statement. “But drilling down into the numbers tells a different story as more voters are undecided and others may be rethinking their choice.”

A notable 21 percent of independent voters are undecided, the poll found, while 46 percent have decided to back Trump to Harris’s 32 percent.

Harris effectively locked up the Democratic nomination for president on Monday with a majority of the party’s delegates pledged to her. She’s experienced the best fundraising launch of any presidential campaign, hauling in more than $80 million in the 24 hours since she entered the race following Biden’s departure Monday.

Nearly 90 percent of respondents said they agreed that Biden’s decision to leave the race was the correct move. A 41 percent plurality of respondents, including 65 percent of Democrats, said it helps the party’s chances in November.

The ticket switch could also influence voter turnout, with just more than a third of respondents saying they are more likely to vote. Six percent of respondents said they are now less likely to vote.

Biden led the previous Marist poll over Trump by 2 points. All polls of the race have been well within the margin of error.

The poll surveyed about 1,300 adults on Monday, with a margin of error of 3.2 percent.