Kamala Harris has a significant lead over Donald Trump in New Hampshire, according to new polling data.

In the first public survey of New Hampshire voters since Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race, Harris has a lead of 6 points over the former president.

The poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire between July 23 and 25, shows Harris with a 49 to 43 percent lead over Trump. The poll surveyed 3,016 people and had a margin of error of 1.8 percent.

In a Saint Anselm College Survey Center (SASC) poll of 2,083 New Hampshire registered voters conducted between July 24 and 25, Harris had a 50-44 percent margin over Trump. The poll had a 2.1 percent margin of error.

Harris was not previously leading in the state. In a poll conducted by the New Hampshire Journal and Praecones Analytica after the Republican convention but before Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 campaign, when Harris was matched up against Trump in a head-to-head, her Republican rival was leading her by one point, on 40 percent to her 39 percent.

In the same poll, Trump and Biden were essentially tied, with Trump on 39.7 and Biden on 39.4 percent.

New Hampshire has voted Democratic in all but one election since 1992, but it is considered a battleground state in most election cycles because control of its state legislature and congressional seats have switched back and forth between Republicans and Democrats.

In 2020, Biden won the state with 52 percent of the vote to Trump’s 45 percent, while in 2016, Hillary Clinton was able to carry the state by around 2,700 votes.

Neil Levesque, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, noted: “With President Biden’s endorsement and the Democratic campaign’s shift to Harris, she has emerged with a consolidated party support, which enhances her standing against Trump among New Hampshire voters.”

Levesque added: “Harris has achieved a level of partisan enthusiasm that Biden did not, especially among the liberal base: 94 percent of Democratic voters now support Harris, a noticeable increase from Biden’s 82 percent in June. As Harris takes the lead in the campaign, shifts in voter perceptions are expected to continue.”

Multiple polls have put Harris in the lead over Trump since she became the front runner for the Democratic nomination.

In a poll conducted by Morning Consult between July 22 and 24, Harris was leading Trump by one point, with 46 percent supporting Harris to Trump’s 45 percent.

And a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted on Monday and Tuesday showed Harris with a 2-point lead over Trump, with 44 percent of those polled supporting her in a head-to-head contest with the Republican, while 42 percent backed the former president. The poll had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

However, not all the polls are favorable to Harris. In the latest poll conducted by the New York Times and Siena College, Trump was leading Harris by 2 points among registered voters and 1 point among likely voters.

Another poll conducted by Morning Consult after Biden ended his reelection campaign showed Trump had a 2-point lead over Harris, with 47 percent supporting the former president compared to 45 percent backing Harris.

The poll also showed that Trump’s margin over the Democrats had decreased. The former president was now only 2 points ahead of Harris, after a previous survey by the same pollsters put Trump four points ahead of Biden—46 percent to the president’s 42 percent.

NASHUA — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Vice President Kamala Harris “should be bold” when choosing her running mate.

While the two-term governor is one of at least seven Democrats being vetted by the Harris campaign, she has repeatedly said that she not interested in the position. She reiterated that to reporters on Thursday in New Hampshire, saying she’s “not going anywhere” and remains committed to her role as Michigan’s governor.

Whitmer said the current field of vice presidential candidates, which includes Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and fellow Michigander Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, are all “wonderful.” 

“I am a little biased toward governors because, you know, I think executive experience would be a helpful thing in the White House. But Mark Kelly is fantastic, Josh Shapiro, there’s just a great list of people that I know that they’re talking to,” Whitmer said. “As a governor who handpicks my running mate in Michigan, I just know that having someone that you can trust who shares your values, and that you get along with, I think, is paramount and only she can make that decision.”

While the current field is largely white men, Whitmer said she believes Harris “feels the same way” that they should be “bold” with their choice, adding two women or two people of color on the presidential ticket would be “exciting.”

Whitmer says Harris brings renewed sense of energy in 2024 election

Whitmer was in New Hampshire on behalf of Harris and in her capacity as a co-chair of Harris’ campaign, a similar role she had with President Joe Biden’s campaign prior to him dropping out of the race and endorsing Harris.

In front of a small crowd at Liquid Therapy in Nashua, she touched on topics ranging from reproductive freedom to Project 2025 in a discussion moderated by former House Speaker Terie Norelli, a Democrat from Portsmouth.

It was Whitmer’s first visit to the Granite State. She said she chose to visit now because “people in New Hampshire matter” and the Harris campaign is taking “no vote, no community for granted.” She emphasized the importance of connecting with those across the country who may find the political news cycle “overwhelming.”

Like New Hampshire, Michigan is a swing state that will be critical for either party to secure victory in the presidential election. New Hampshire has four electoral votes while Michigan has 15 and is considered a key battleground state.

Both states have tended to vote Democratic, but former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, won Michigan in 2016, before losing the state to Biden in 2020. Trump led Biden in recent polling in New Hampshire, where Biden won in 2020 and Hillary Clinton won in 2016.

Biden’s exit was a surprise to her, Whitmer said, and she emphasized her gratitude for the “sacrifices he made on behalf of others.” But since he exited the race, Whitmer said she’s seen a renewed sense of energy and excitement, something that she doesn’t normally see this early in an election.

“It is going to be joyous, inclusive, future-forward-looking convention,” Whitmer said of the Democratic National Convention, scheduled to take place from Aug. 19-22 in Chicago. “November 5, then, after polls close, we can have a cocktail and cheers to Madam President.”