Kamala Harris extends lead over Donald Trump in new poll

Washington: In the race to win the November 5 presidential election, Democratic US Vice President Kamala Harris leads Republican Donald Trump by 47 percent to 42 percent. She has further extended her lead after a debate against the former president, which voters overwhelmingly see as her winner, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll that ended on Thursday.

The two-day poll shows Harris leading by 5 percentage points among registered voters, just above the 4 percentage point lead she had over Trump in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Aug. 21-28.

Among voters who said they heard at least something about Tuesday's debate, 53 percent said Harris won and 24 percent said Trump won. The rest said neither heard anything or did not respond.

About 52 percent of people familiar with the debate said Trump stumbled and did not seem astute, while 21 percent said the same of Harris. Among Republican voters, one in five said Trump did not seem astute.

Harris, 59, put Trump, 78, on the defensive in a heated presidential debate with a barrage of attacks on his fitness for office and his myriad legal troubles, particularly highlighting Trump's conviction for falsifying business records.

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About 52 percent of voters familiar with the debate said Harris “gives the impression of higher moral integrity,” compared with 29 percent who said the same of Trump.

Many Republicans were also unconvinced by their candidate's performance at the debate in Philadelphia. About 53 percent of Republican voters in the poll said Trump won the debate, compared to 91 percent of Democrats who said she was the winner. Among Republicans, 31 percent said no one won, and 14 percent said Harris defeated Trump.

The debate, moderated by ABC News, attracted 67.1 million television viewers, according to Nielsen data, surpassing the roughly 51 million people who watched the debate between Trump and then-presidential candidate Joe Biden in June.