Harris and Trump neck and neck in Michigan, new poll shows

Democrat seems to have lost momentum she had gained since taking over as candidate from Joe Biden

Donald Trump is now tied with Kamala Harris in Michigan, a new Telegraph poll shows, amid concerns about the state of the US economy and border security.
Both candidates are now tied on 47 points each, reversing an upward trend for Ms Harris in Michigan since Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race on July 21.
The latest poll, by Redfield & Wilton Strategies for the Telegraph, who asked 820 people in Michigan, casts doubt on Ms Harris’s route to 270 electoral college votes, which relies on strong performances in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Michigan is one of the so-called “blue wall” states that generally support Democratic candidates, but which fell to Trump in 2016.
It has voted for a Democrat in every election since 1992, other than in 2016 when it backed Trump over Hillary Clinton.
The Telegraph’s tracker shows that Michigan swung towards Ms Harris in late August, giving her a three-point lead that she maintained until early September.
Between Sept 16 and Oct 2, Ms Harris’s lead fell to two points, and has now been erased.
Philip van Scheltinga, director of research at Redfield & Wilton, said: “Trump is improving across the board. It’s not a story unique to Michigan. However, I would note that Trump’s improving chances in Michigan is an important story that risks going undetected with the focus mostly on Pennsylvania. 
“With the polling so close, and given the margins in 2020, it is entirely possible that Trump loses Pennsylvania but still wins Michigan and therefore the election.”
He added that Trump’s campaign had “done a good job of focusing the central conversation of the election on the economy and staying out of the abortion debate,” on which Ms Harris leads.
Both Trump and Ms Harris have campaigned heavily in Michigan, which is the poorest of the seven swing states on average.
The latest data from the US Census Bureau shows the average household in the Wolverine State earns $62,000, compared with $63,000 in North Carolina and $67,000 in Georgia.
Nevada is the highest-earning swing state, with an average income of $80,000, while households in Pennsylvania earn $75,000 on average.
The latest poll shows the largest group of voters in Michigan trusts Trump more on the economy, inflation and immigration – three of their top priorities overall. Ms Harris is trusted more on policing and crime, healthcare and abortion.
Almost half of voters in Michigan say their financial situation has worsened in the last year, while only 21 per cent said it had improved. A majority of voters said the US did not have control over its borders.
The state’s 15 electoral college votes make it one of the greatest prizes of the swing states that could flip in this election, and the state has become central to Ms Harris’s strategy during the campaign.
Trump will speak at a rally in Detroit on Friday, and will focus his remarks on the economy and the auto industry.
His campaign released a statement on Tuesday claiming Michigan voters have been “crushed” by inflation, and that Ms Harris would “destroy” car manufacturing if she wins power next month.