Presidential race swings 6 points in two weeks, catapulting Trump to lead and ending Harris surge

Support in the presidential race has swung six points since the beginning of the month, catapulting former President Donald Trump back into a narrow lead after Vice President Kamala Harris had surged with her surprise entrance atop the Democrat ticket, according to a new poll released Friday.

The survey of 3,000 likely voters by Napolitan News and veteran pollster Scott Rasmussen showed Trump leading Harris 46% to 45%.

When voters who said they were leaning toward a candidate were included, the survey found Trump ahead 49% to 47%.

Harris was leading Trump 44% to 43% in the same survey a week ago, and enjoyed a five-point lead in the same poll on Aug. 2 shortly after taking over the top of the Democrat ticket. In that poll, Harris was up 47% to 42%, Rasmussen reported.

Rasmussen had warned that Harris' initial surge may have been a "sugar high" and said Friday her momentum appears to have stopped.

“These numbers suggest that the initial Harris bounce is over,” Rasmussen told Just the News. “However, the core dynamics of the race remain unchanged. Love him or hate him, voters know what they think of Donald Trump. At this point in time, Kamala Harris remains largely unknown.

"That means events like the upcoming Democratic convention and presidential debates could have a bigger impact than usual,” he added. “As a result, the race for the White House remains too close to call. Anybody who says they know who will win is either lying to you or to themselves.”

The veteran pollster said Trump voters are slightly more likely to vote right now than Harris supporters, potentially giving the former president an edge if turnout is lower in the fall.

Rasmussen also said it was possible the race could give either party control of all three power centers in Washington: the White House, Senate and House.

On Thursday, he released a poll showing that in one of the nation’s closest watched Senate races in Montana, incumbent Democrat Jon Tester was leading by 5 points but that his Republican challenger Tim Sheehy had room to grow because Trump support was dominant in the state with a lead of 18 points.