Kamala Harris’ chances of winning Nevada soar as she adopts Trump policy

Vice President Kamala Harris’ chances of winning the battleground state of Nevada have soared, according to recent polls.

On Saturday, at a rally at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the Democratic presidential nominee promised to work to eliminate taxes on tips paid to hospitality and service industry employees.

“It is my promise to everyone here that when I am president, we will continue our fight for working families of America, including to raise the minimum wage and eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers,” Harris said.

Her promise echoed one that her opponent, former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, made at a Las Vegas rally in June.

As of August 11, a polling average by Nate Silver’s Silver Bulletin had Harris ahead in Nevada, 45.1 percent to Trump’s 43.5 percent. The average of polls had Trump leading Harris, 43.9 percent to 42.5 percent, at the start of August.

According to 270towin.com, an average of five recent polls also showed Harris leading Trump in Nevada, 45.2 percent to 44.6 percent.

At his Las Vegas rally, the former president pledged that one of the first things he would do if he won the White House in November was to work to end the taxation of income service workers earn through tips. “For those hotel workers and people that get tips, you’re going to be very happy because when I get to office, we are going to not charge taxes on tips, people making tips,” he said.

Newsweek has contacted the Harris and Trump campaigns for comment via email.

After Harris’ announcement on Saturday, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that she “is starting to get hammered in the Polls” and “just copied my NO TAXES ON TIPS Policy.”

He added: “The difference is, she won’t do it, she just wants it for Political Purposes! This was a TRUMP idea—She has no ideas, she can only steal from me.”

The Culinary Workers Union Local 226, which dismissed Trump’s pledge as a “wild” campaign promise in June, announced its endorsement of Harris on Friday.

Harris “has consistently championed our union and hospitality workers,” Ted Pappageorge, the union’s secretary-treasurer, said in a statement.

He continued: “She stood by us as we negotiated and won the best union contract ever, and we trust her to continue the progress of the Biden/Harris administration by delivering real results that will prioritize and protect working families.”

The proposal to end taxes on tips has garnered significant public support, according to a recent poll conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies for Newsweek.

The survey, which was conducted on July 29 among 1,750 eligible voters in the U.S., found that 67 percent of Americans did not believe tips given to service workers should be taxed, while 19 percent believed they should be.

Support for the proposal crossed party lines, with 68 percent of Republicans and 65 percent of Democrats in favor of ending the taxation of tips.

Are you a hospitality or service worker in Nevada with thoughts on the proposal to eliminate taxes on tips? Email k.rahman@newsweek.com.