New poll finds Trump rated higher than Kamala Harris

More voters perceive Donald Trump more positively (50%) than Kamala Harris (48%). The Republican candidate, immersed in his third presidential campaign, has witnessed how that impression has been improving since he ran for the first time in 2016. His rival, who hopes to become the first female president, has an rating that is only second to Hillary Clinton's as the lowest among Democrat candidates since 1956.

According to a survey by Gallup, Trump has reached a favorability rating of 50% or higher for the first time, a milestone he failed to achieve both in his 2016 campaign (where he reached 36%) and in 2020 (where he peaked at 47%).

His negative perception has dropped significantly since his first election, when he became the only candidate since 1956 to be viewed unfavorably by more than three out of five voters (61%) compared to today's 48%.   

Harris’ case is different. The Democrat, facing her first election as a presidential candidate and is viewed favorably by 48% of voters. Her record, among Democratic hopefuls since 1956, is the second worst, second only to Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Fifty percent of voters view Harris negatively, which is the opposite of her rival according to the polls. 

Both Trump and Harris are a long way from achieving the favorability levels of the most liked candidates from each party: Republican Dwight Eisenhower had an 84% favorability rating in 1956 and Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson had 81% in 1964.

By party

Within the Republican Party, 68% of voters have a very favorable perception of Trump compared to 26% who give him a somewhat positive rating.

The poll found 93% of Democrats have a negative opinion of the Republican candidate, split between 13% who have a moderately unfavorable view and 80% who have a highly unfavorable view. 

From the Democratic side, 97% of voters have a favorable view of Harris split between 72% who have a highly favorable view and 25% who have a moderately favorable view.

Meanwhile, 92% of Republicans have a negative opinion of Harris with 80% claiming the view her as highly unfavorable compared to 13% who view her as moderately unfavorable. 

Among independents, Trump holds a slight edge over Harris in terms of positive opinions, although by a very narrow margin with just a one-point difference between the two (47% to 46%, respectively).