Quinnipiac poll in Pennsylvania: Trump takes the lead

In one of the latest polls for the battleground state released Wednesday, voters in Pennsylvania have moved slightly toward President Donald Trump.

Trump swapped places with Vice President Kamala Harris in the final Quinnipiac University poll of the cycle. He leads Harris (47-46) in the poll of likely voters. The error rate was 2.1 points.

In mid-October, these numbers reversed.

With less than a week to go before Election Day, the Keystone State remains a mystery with its 19 Electoral College votes.

Broken down by gender, Trump received 57 percent of men, while 55 percent of women said they would vote for Harris.

“The gender gap is widening as Trump expands his lead among men as what remains a very close race enters its final stages,” Quinnipiac University poll analyst Tim Malloy said in a news release.

Newsweek I emailed both campaigns Wednesday afternoon seeking comment.

The Quinnipaic poll showed voters were divided over whether Trump or Harris would do a better job on certain issues, including a 52% to 43% split in Trump's favor when it comes to resolving the Middle East conflict .

Pennsylvania residents surveyed also said Trump was stronger on the economy and immigration, while Harris was more likely to be more committed to preserving democracy and better on abortion.

Both candidates had similar negative ratings at 49 percent, while more voters found Harris honest, 45 percent compared to 41 percent for Trump.

The poll found that voters appeared to agree on one point.

“A deeply divided country finds common ground. “More than half of likely voters say November 5, 2024 will mark an unprecedented milestone, the most consequential Election Day they have ever experienced,” Malloy said.

Pennsylvania was a key battleground throughout the campaign. Both candidates held multiple rallies to attract voters in both the Democratic-leaning Philadelphia and Pittsburg areas, as well as in rural areas such as Erie County.

The state has voted for the overall winner in 48 of 59 recent elections. While President Joe Biden won the state in the last election, Trump did so in 2016.

For Harris, Pennsylvania is critical to her “Blue Wall” strategy; Combined with the other swing states in the region, Michigan and Wisconsin, Pennsylvania will receive exactly 270 Electoral College votes once it is added to Nebraska's second district and no surprises are expected with other blue states.

Trump, on the other hand, needs to flip at least one of these Midwestern states, and Pennsylvania appears to be the one most likely to flip. With a higher share of white voters without a college degree, the state is more favorable to Trump than Michigan or Wisconsin.

The Quinnipiac poll was conducted between Oct. 24 and Oct. 28 with 2,186 likely voters in Pennsylvania.