Kamala Harris takes the lead where Donald Trump previously won twice

New Delhi:

While the upcoming presidential primaries are being ignored by both Democrats and Republicans, Iowa now appears to have the potential to become a swing state in the race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

The latest Des Moines Register newspaper poll showed Ms. Harris leading Mr. Trump 47 percent to 44 percent, buoyed by support from women and independent voters. The latter quickly dismissed the survey as “fake” and “distorted”. “One of my enemies just released a poll – I’m 3 behind. (Iowa Senator) Joni Ernst called me, everyone called me, they said you're killing in Iowa. The farmers love me and I love them,” he said at a rally in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania.

Iowa, which was not a battleground state before the November 5 US presidential election, was not on the itineraries of the two candidates, who made several campaign visits to the seven swing states – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin .

More than 75 million Americans have already cast their ballots as of Sunday, according to the University of Florida's Election Lab, which tracks early and mail-in voting across the United States. The survey of 808 likely Iowa voters, including those who have already voted as well as those who say they definitely plan to vote, was conducted Oct. 28-31, the Des Moines Register said.

The poll shows that women, particularly those 65 and older who identify as independent, are leading the shift to Ms. Harris. Older women support the Democrat over the Republican candidate 63 percent to 28 percent, and politically independent women favor Ms. Harris 57 percent to 29 percent. Mr. Trump maintains large margins among groups that form the core of his base: men, rural Iowans and those who describe themselves as evangelical.

Interestingly, however, the state was won by nearly 10 points in each of Mr. Trump's last two elections. However, that doesn't qualify it as a Republican stronghold, as it was captured by Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.

During the campaign, Ms. Harris predicted that the election would protect the country's fundamental freedoms, protect constitutional values ​​and ensure women's rights. Mr Trump has promised to rebuild the economy and rid the US of illegal migration.