Republican Donald Trump is at risk of losing Florida in November, according to a new poll.
The USA Today/Suffolk University/WSVN-TV survey conducted between August 7 and August 11 reveals that Florida may not be an easy win for Trump. The former president leads his opponent by only 5 points with 47 percent to Vice President Kamala Harris’s 42 percent, in the poll.
His current lead is smaller than all polls have shown since July 10 and is also within the survey’s margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent.
Newsweek reached out to the Trump campaign for comment via email.
Florida was previously considered a swing state but has become increasingly Republican in recent years, going to Trump in the 2016 and 2020 elections.
Republican Governor Ron DeSantis was also elected in a landslide in 2022, beating Democrat Charlie Crist by 19 points and carrying 62 out of 67 counties
The latest poll suggests that Republican support could be declining in the state. David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, told USA Today that he was “surprised” to see Harris within “striking distance” of Trump.
“What was an easy drive through the Sunshine State is drive with caution,” he said, adding that Harris is “still the underdog, but she’s a little bit closer than people might expect.”
Previous polls conducted from July 15 showed that Trump had a lead of between 6 and 10 points in the state, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Harris has usurped Trump’s lead nationally since Biden announced he was ending his reelection campaign last month.
According to election forecaster Race to the WH, Harris has gained 7.3 points in the polls in the last 45 days, meaning she is now 1.8 points ahead of Trump. The Republican nominee was leading by 5.5 points 45 days ago.
In Florida, Harris has gained 9.6 points, decreasing Trump’s substantial lead in the state.
However, despite Harris’ growing support, Race to the WH still shows that she is behind Trump in Florida by 8 points, 41.4 percent to his 49.4 percent.
The USA Today/Suffolk University/WSVN-TV survey showed that Trump has a higher favorability rating than both Harris and Biden in Florida, with 50 percent favoring the former president, compared to 44 percent for Harris and 39 percent for Biden.
Meanwhile, the poll also showed that more people approve of the job Trump did as president than of Harris’ record as vice president. Some 55 percent of voters surveyed said they approve or strongly approve of Trump’s record as president compared to the 39 percent said the same for Harris’ vice presidential term.
Nationally, Harris has a 2.4-point lead over Trump, according to FiveThirtyEight’s poll aggregator.
