Harris beats Trump in the latest polls, expanding her lead in the national polling average

Vice President Kamala Harris has taken a 3 point lead over Donald Trump in the national race for the White House, according to a pair of surveys released this week.

On Monday, Survey USA and UMass Amherst both released surveys showing the Democratic candidate winning over more likely voters than the former president, a stark turnaround from before she entered the race last month. According to Survey USA, Harris earns the support of 48% of likely voters while Trump earns the backing of 45%. According to Umass Amherst, the vice president has a 46% to 43 % lead over the GOP candidate; in January, the same pollster found Trump leading  President Joe Biden by 43% to 39%.

“The Harris campaign and the Democratic Party must like their chances to maintain control of the White House and to send former President Trump to his second consecutive defeat in his quest to return to Pennsylvania Avenue,” Tatishe Nteta, co-director of the UMass Amherst poll, said in a statement.

“Harris’ entry into the race has electrified Democrats,” added UMass Amherst co-director Alexander Theodoridis. According to Theodoridis, 66% of Democrats say they are more enthusiastic about voting in November now that Harris is the presumptive nominee.

The Survey USA results which also show Harris in the lead, found some intricate demographic differences in likely voter opinions. Former President Trump leads among men by 12 points while Harris leads among women by 18 points, revealing an overall 30-point gender gap.

The findings track with other recent surveys that show Harris with a narrow lead, albeit one within most polls' margin of error. According to average of recent national surveys by ABC News' 538, Harris leads Trump by 45.3% to 43.5%, or 1.8%.