A group of undecided voters remained unconvinced that Kamala Harris was the better candidate following Tuesday's debate, according to a Reuters poll. Out of ten voters interviewed before the debate who were unsure about their choice for the November 5 election, six said afterward that they were now either leaning toward or planning to vote for Donald Trump. Three indicated support for Harris, while one voter remained undecided.
Despite the small sample size, the responses highlighted that Harris will need to offer more detailed policy proposals to sway undecided voters. Five participants criticized her for being vague on how she would address top voter concerns like the U.S. economy and the rising cost of living during the 90-minute debate.
Several of the participants who shifted toward Trump said they trusted him more on economic issues, even though they expressed personal dislike for him. They credited him for a better financial situation during his presidency and pointed to his proposal to tax foreign imports. Four of the six said Harris failed to convince them she would adopt different economic policies than Joe Biden, whom they largely blamed for inflation.
Robert Wheeler, a 48-year-old security firm executive from Nevada, had been leaning toward Harris before the debate but changed his mind. “If the election were tomorrow, I’d vote for Trump,” he said, citing Harris’s lack of clarity on her policies.
Mark Kadish, a 61-year-old entrepreneur from Florida, also criticized Harris for failing to provide specific plans. “I still don't know what she is for,” he said. “There was no real substance to her proposals.”
The group interviewed included four women and six men, eight of whom were white and two Black. All had previously voted for both Democratic and Republican candidates.
Much of Harris’s focus was on criticizing Trump rather than providing detailed plans. Meredith Marshall, a self-employed woman from Los Angeles, was one of the three voters now backing Harris. While she also wished Harris had discussed the economy more, she appreciated her supposed plan to support small businesses.
