Siena Poll: Harris behind Trump by 1% among voters

Siena College Research Institute and The New York Times released a national poll on Thursday about the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Siena College Research Institute and The New York Times released a national poll on Thursday about the upcoming 2024 presidential election. Questions ranged from who voters believe should be the Democratic Party candidate in the election to who voters would vote for if the nominees were Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump.

According to the poll of the likely electorate, voters were asked if they believe the Democratic Party should nominate Harris as the party's candidate for president in 2024. 81% of responders said yes, 13% said a different person should be nominated, and 6% didn't know or refused to answer.

When asked who voters would prefer to be the Democratic Party's nominee, however, numbers were a bit more split. 13% said Gavin Newsom should be the nominee, 5% said Harris, 5% said Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and 5% said Michelle Obama. 53% didn't know or refused to answer and the rest of the voters were split between other candidates.

Voters were asked whether or not they approve of the way President Joe Biden is handling his job as president. Overall, 42% approved while 55% disapproved and 2% didn't know or refused to answer.

Voters were also asked if they had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of both Trump and Biden in the poll. For Trump, 47% of voters said they had a favorable opinion of him while 52% did not, and less than 1% didn't know or refused to answer. 43% of voters had a favorable opinion of Biden, 55% did not, and 2% didn't know or refused to answer.

The poll also asked voters about their opinions on Harris and JD Vance. 46% of voters had a favorable opinion of Harris, while 50% had an unfavorable one, and 3$ didn't know or refused to answer. 36% of voters had a favorable opinion of Vance, 39% had an unfavorable one, and 11% didn't know or refused to answer.

When asked about who voters would vote for in the presidential election if the candidates were between Trump and Harris, the numbers were close. 47% said they would vote for Harris and 48% said Trump with 5% not knowing or refusing to answer.

Harris currently has a 21-point lead among young voters, previously a Biden weakness according to political analysts. Trump holds a five-point lead among older voters, a group Biden had previously led by three.