US Vice President Kamala Harris has upended the election against Republican rival Donald Trump
The poll indicates a near tie between Harris and Trump AFP

Vice President Kamala Harris has closed the gap with former President Donald Trump in seven key battleground states, according to a recent poll.

The Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll revealed that there has been a significant shift in the 2024 presidential race dynamics just a week after Harris emerged as the likely Democratic nominee.

The poll indicates a near tie between Harris and Trump, with the Democrat securing 48% of the vote and the Republican close behind at 47% across the battleground states, The Hill reported.

This is a substantial change from early July, where Trump led Biden by 2 percentage points and had a clear advantage in five out of seven battleground states.

Harris leads Trump by 11 points in Michigan, 2 points in Nevada, 2 points in Arizona, and 2 points in Wisconsin.

But, Trump holds a 4-point lead in Pennsylvania and a 2-point lead in North Carolina. Both candidates are evenly matched in Georgia, each garnering 47% support.

The survey, conducted from July 24-28, involved 4,973 registered voters and has a margin of error of 1 percentage point.

Meanwhile, as the race heats up, both Harris and Trump have launched significant advertising campaigns targeting each other in crucial battleground states, ABC News reported.

The Harris campaign is rolling out a $50 million, three-week ad blitz leading up to the Democratic National Convention.

The ads focus on introducing Harris to voters, highlighting her career achievements, and critiquing her Republican opponent.

Trump's campaign has responded with a $12 million ad campaign. The 30-second ad focuses on issues like illegal immigration, fentanyl deaths, and crime, and portray Harris as "weak" and "dangerously liberal."

A narrator in the ad is heard as saying, "This is America's border czar, and she's failed us. Under Harris, over 10 million illegally here, a quarter of a million Americans dead from fentanyl, brutal migrant crimes, and ISIS now here.

"Kamala Harris. Failed. Weak. Dangerously liberal."

In defense, the Harris campaign argues that her focus has been on addressing the root causes of migration and not directly managing the border.

Her campaign's first ad, titled "Fearless," features her career from prosecutor to vice president, and showcases her commitment to justice and her opposition to Trump's policies.

"As a prosecutor, she put murderers and abusers behind bars," a narrator says in her ad.

"As California's attorney general, she went after the big banks and won $20 billion for homeowners. And as vice president, she took on the big drug companies to cap the cost of insulin for seniors. Because Kamala Harris has always known who she represents."

Both campaigns are heavily investing in key states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and North Carolina.