Vice President Kamala Harris is faring better with likely Texas voters in her bid for president than President Joe Biden did, but former President Donald Trump is still in the lead, according to a new poll.
A University of Houston Hobby School and Texas Southern University Jordan-Leland School poll released in July put Trump roughly 9 percentage points ahead of Biden, the then-presumptive Democratic nominee. The survey was taken between between June 20 and July 1, with the bulk of the fieldwork being done before the June 27 presidential debate between Biden and Trump.
But in the weeks since, Biden dropped out of the race amid calls from within his own party for him to step aside. Harris is now the Democratic nominee, which could make for a tighter race in Texas, if the poll’s latest findings hold true.
The latest poll from the University of Houston Hobby School and Texas Southern University’s Jordan-Leland School has Trump up by about 5 points.
The survey of 1,365 likely Texas voters, 878 of which also participated in the earlier poll, found that 49.5% plan to vote for Trump, 44.6% are supporting Harris, 2% back Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 0.7% support Green Party’s Jill Stein, 0.5% support. Libertarian Chase Oliver and 2.7% are undecided.
During the June survey, 40.3% said they’d support Biden and 48.9% said they supported Trump.
How favorable are the presidential, VP candidates?
How favorable to likely Texas voters find Trump, Harris and their running mates?
Of those surveyed, 49% find Trump very favorable or somewhat favorable compared to 50% in the poll released in July. In the more recent poll, half found him at least someone unfavorable, with 1% not knowing enough to have an opinion.
Forty-eight percent found Harris at least somewhat favorable, up from 42% in the July poll. Fifty one find her somewhat or very unfavorable, with 1% not knowing enough to have an opinion.
In the poll released in July, 44% found Biden somewhat or very favorable.
As for the vice presidential candidates, those surveyed are equally split on his overall favorability (44% each), with 12% not knowing enough to have an opinion. Forty percent found Walz at least somewhat favorable, while 39% found him at least somewhat unfavorable. Twenty one percent said they don’t know enough to have an opinion.
Some likely voters weighed in on both polls. What did they say?
Looking at the 878 likely Texas voters who responded to both polls, Trump has a 4 point lead over Harris. The voters gave Trump a 5.5 point lead over Biden in the version released in July.
Trump kept 97% of his votes, with 2% switching to Harris in August and 1% saying they’re unsure who they’ll vote for.
Harris kept the support of 96% of likely Biden voters, with 3% saying in the August poll that they now plan to vote for Trump and 1% were unsure.
Kennedy kept 31% of his June votes, with 44% moving their votes to Harris in August and 21% opting for Trump.
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
