Vice President Kamala Harris has received the best presidential election polling result for Democrats in over a year in the potentially critical swing state of Nevada.
Harris, who has been riding a wave of momentum since launching her campaign following President Joe Biden’s exit from the race on July 21, is leading former President Donald Trump in The Silver State by 5.6 percent in a poll released on Friday by The Nevada Independent.
Biden won Nevada by just over 2 percent in 2020. However, the president was consistently lagging behind Trump in Nevada in nearly all polls conducted this year, with the outlier being an Emerson College/The Hill survey that showed Biden drawing level with the ex-president.
Limited polling conducted since Harris became Trump’s opponent has revealed mixed but far more positive results for Democrats. A Morning Consult/Bloomberg poll released late last month showed the vice president up by 2 points. Other polls show Trump with a slim lead or the race tied.
The Nevada Independent survey, conducted by pollster and Columbia University lecturer David Wolfson, was the best result for the Democratic presidential ticket since a Morning Consult/Bloomberg poll released in October showed Biden leading Trump by 3 percentage points.
The new poll, which was conducted among 991 likely Nevada voters from August 3 to August 5, showed that Harris was favored by 49.2 percent of respondents. Trump was supported by 43.6 percent of voters, while independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was preferred by 3.9 percent. The poll has a 3 percent margin of error.
Wolfson suggested that the results were less the product of enthusiasm for Harris and more an indication of support for Democrats other than Biden, telling The Nevada Independent that there had been “a collective sigh of relief that Joe Biden is not going to be running” and any other Democrat “would be polling as well at this point of the race.”
A Nevada Independent poll released in April 2023, which was conducted partially before Biden announced his plans to then seek a second term, showed the incumbent Democrat leading Trump by 8 points in a hypothetical 2020 rematch.
Newsweek reached out for comment to the Trump and Harris campaigns via email on Friday evening.
Nevada is not the only swing state where Harris has made significant polling gains less than three weeks since entering the race. Averages of recent polls compiled by polling website FiveThirtyEight also showed the vice president with small leads over Trump in the crucial “Rust Belt” swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin as of Friday.
Trump’s leads in Nevada’s fellow “Sun Belt” swing states of Georgia and Arizona have been whittled down to less than 1 percent, according to FiveThirtyEight averages. Biden won all six of the battleground states in 2020, mostly by slim margins.
On Thursday, the Cook Political Report moved 2024 forecasts of Arizona, Nevada and Georgia from “lean Republican” to “toss-up” states. Sabato’s Crystal Ball also shifted Georgia, Minnesota and New Hampshire toward the Democrats this week, with Minnesota and New Hampshire moving to “likely Democrat” and Georgia becoming a “toss-up.”
Updated February 26, 2026 – 8:28 pm
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Green Valley’s softball team claimed an 8-6 win at Liberty on Thursday on the first day of high school spring sports competition in Nevada.
Green Valley next hosts Silverado at 3 p.m. Friday. Liberty plays at Bishop Gorman at 3 p.m. Friday.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A deadly crash involving a semi tractor-trailer and a tow truck has closed US-95 in both directions at mile marker 73 in Nye County, the Nevada Highway Patrol said Thursday.
NHP responded to the crash at approximately 2:16 a.m. on Feb. 26, 2026.
Details about the crash were not immediately available, but both drivers were confirmed dead at the scene.
Both northbound and southbound travel lanes on US-95 at mile marker 73 remain closed as of the initial report. The closure is located approximately 13 miles north of Beatty, Nevada.
Drivers headed northbound are advised to take US-93 through Alamo, Nevada, then Highway 318 to Highway 375, then Highway 6 westbound into Tonopah, Nevada.
Drivers headed southbound out of Tonopah are advised to take US-6 eastbound to Highway 375, then Highway 318, then US-93 into Alamo, Nevada.
NHP said additional information will be released following the preliminary investigation.
Copyright 2026 KVVU. All rights reserved.
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — World-renowned free climber and Las Vegas local Alex Honnold is soaring to new heights with a new mission: helping everyone explore Nevada and all that the Silver State has to offer.
Travel Nevada, the state’s tourism agency, partnered with Honnold on the venture. FOX5’s Jaclyn Schultz spoke to Honnold after his recent success climbing atop Taipei 101. Streaming service Netflix broadcast the free climb live to millions of viewers.
Honnold is already an advocate for outdoor preservation across Nevada, and worked to preserve thousands of climbing routes on public lands like Red Rock Canyon.
“Everyone I meet is like, ‘Why would you live in Vegas?’ They think, they think I just spent all my time on the Strip. The Strip is cool– it’s incredible in its own way, world-class entertainment and everything. But man, the outdoor access is unparalleled,” Honnold said.
“I moved here for a reason. I think it’s the best climbing. I think it’s arguably some of the best access in the world. Having a convenient airport and sort of convenient living coupled with very convenient rock– there just aren’t that many places like that in the world,” Honnold tells FOX5.
“Get A Little Out There With Alex Honnold” features outdoor adventures across Nevada, and takes people along to discover hidden gems in different towns and communities.
What’s the most “underrated place” in Nevada, according to Honnold?
“Ely, Nevada,” Honnold said. “The potential, the bare bones of having a small town at the base of giant mountains, the access to skiing, the access to trails–I was like, this is as good as any kind of Colorado resort town,” Honnold said.
Nevada’s tourism has notably taken a nosedive over the past year. Various businesses, local leaders and state agencies have worked to lure back tourists, international visitors and domestic travelers.
“Part of the appeal of making the show is that you do just want more people to know about the opportunity. Nevada’s 80% public land. You can just go out and have adventures virtually anywhere,” he said.
Episode 1 of Honnold’s series drops February 26 on Outside TV. You can learn more here: Travel Nevada
Copyright 2026 KVVU. All rights reserved.
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