Donald Trump's Lead in Georgia Is Shrinking

Donald Trump's lead is shrinking in Georgia, a key battleground state in the presidential race, after President Joe Biden ended his campaign and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a poll.

Biden announced on Sunday he was stepping aside following weeks of pressure from prominent Democrats concerned about whether he could win in November, amid concerns about his age and weak polling numbers. In just a few days, Harris appears to have secured enough delegates to win her party's nomination during next month's Democratic National Convention.

Harris' poll numbers before the president's withdrawal—like Biden's—trailed Trump's. But her supporters argue she is more capable of running a robust campaign that could win over swing voters while increasing the already mounting Democratic enthusiasm for the race.

A new poll of Georgia, a swing state both parties are vying to win in November, indicates that Trump's lead may be shrinking.

Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on July 20. His lead in Georgia is shrinking, according to a new poll in the crucial swing state. Donald Trump speaks at a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on July 20. His lead in Georgia is shrinking, according to a new poll in the crucial swing state. Bill Pugliano/Getty Images

The Landmark Communications poll surveyed 400 likely voters in Georgia on Monday, the day after Biden left the race, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

The survey found Trump trailing Harris by 1.3 percentage points in a head-to-head matchup (48 percent to 46.7 percent). When other candidates are included, Trump held a 1.5-point lead (45.8 percent to 44.3 percent).

Mark Rountree, president of Landmark Communications, wrote in a Facebook post announcing the poll, "It's hard to say where things will go over the course of the election but, at least temporarily, Harris is running a bit stronger in Georgia than Biden was — which isn't that hard to do."

Harris particularly enjoys strong support from independent voters. In a matchup against Trump, she won them by double digits (48 percent to 36 percent).

However, support among young voters was split down the middle, with each candidate receiving 47 percent support from voters between 18 and 35.

Although Democrats have traditionally won these voters, the Biden administration's policies on issues like climate change and the Israel-Hamas war have alienated younger voters, many of whom were expected to possibly sit out the election. It remains to be seen if they will now support Harris.

Newsweek reached out via email to the Harris and Trump campaigns for comment.

Georgia was viewed as a Republican-leaning state for much of the 2000s and 2010s but has grown more competitive because of growth in Atlanta, as well as its suburbs shifting toward Democrats. The state backed Trump in 2016 by 5 percentage points but flipped its support to Biden in 2020 by less than a quarter of a percentage point.

Early polls showed Trump leading Biden in the state. Trump has not lost a single Georgia poll so far in 2024.

A separate poll released in recent days showed Trump leading Harris by 5 points (51 percent to 46 percent) in Georgia. The survey was conducted among 1,000 likely voters from July 9 to 18 by the University of Georgia's School of Public and International Affairs and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.