USA Today: Harris Leads Trump 2-1 Among Early Voters

Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly leads former President Donald Trump among early voters, many of whom have been motivated to cast ballots due the abortion issue.

Harris is ahead of Trump by nearly a 2-to-1 margin (63%-34%) among people who have already voted, according to a USA Today/Suffolk University poll.

Trump, though, leads 52%-35% among voters who plan to wait until Election Day to cast their ballots.

One in 5 voters who already have submitted their ballots said "abortion rights/women's rights" was their most important issue.

By 63%-33%, those who already have voted say they support Democrat congressional candidates.

Overall, the survey shows Harris with a 45%-44% edge, well within the margin of error, and Democrats with a 47%-45% advantage on the generic congressional ballot.

USA Today reported the early voter turnout among Harris' supporters carries advantages for Democrats.

"First, large Harris voter leads are being banked every day," said David Paleologos, director of Suffolk's Political Research Center. "Second, it gives the Harris campaign some time to persuade Election Day voters."

That would include appeals to "some previously reliable Democratic voters who have drifted away over the past few weeks, like young Black and Latino men," he added.

A third respondents said they plan to vote early – a group that supports Harris by 52%-39% – and nearly half said they will wait until Election Day.

The latest USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll of 1,000 likely voters was conducted Oct. 14-18 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

One in seven respondents said they had already voted, as some states have begun early mail-in and in-person voting.

The poll also showed Trump closing the gap with targeted messaging while Harris struggles to generate enthusiasm among critical demographics.

Trump leads 49%-38% among Latino voters.

Harris leads among Black voters with 72%, but this is a significant drop compared to traditional Democrat margins in the group. By contrast, Trump's 17% among Black voters marks a considerable inroad.