US 2024 election: New poll shows Kamala Harris leading in Iowa, Trump calls it 'fake'

Harris' win in Iowa would be a significant turnabout as the state supported Trump in both 2016 and 2020.

Ahead of the US presidential election, a new poll showed that Democratic presidential contender Kamala Harris defeated Republican candidate Donald Trump in Iowa, a crucial battleground state.

The survey conducted by The Des Moines Register/Mediacom stated that the US VP is currently ahead of Trump by 47% to 44%. The poll of 808 likely Iowa voters, which include those who have already voted as well as those who say they plan to vote, was conducted from October 28 to 31, Des Moines Register said.

What did the earlier poll predict?

In September, a poll by the same outlet had shown Trump leading by four points over Harris. In June, when President Joe Biden was in the race, Trump was ahead by 18-point over the Democratic leader. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points, it added. In September, a poll by the same media outlet had shown Trump leading by four points over Harris by 4 points.

According to the latest poll, Harris is leading in the race in view of support from women and independent voters. More than 75 million Americans have already cast their votes as of Sunday, according to the University of Florida's Election Lab that tracks early and mail-in voting across the US.

What does Trump say?

Trump was quick to reject the poll as "fake" and "skewed". He said it was carried to favour his Democratic rival.

"One of my enemies just puts out a poll -- I am 3 down. (Iowa Senator) Joni Ernst called me, everyone's called me, they said you are killing in Iowa. The farmers love me and I love them," he said at a rally in key battleground state of Pennsylvania.

Trump said the poll released on Saturday was "fake". "I am not down in Iowa."

The poll by Des Moines Register newspaper came even as both Trump and Harris crisscrossed key battleground states to make their closing remarks ahead of the November 5 national election day.

A separate poll by NBC News found a neck and neck contest between Harris and Trump. It showed Harris getting support from 49 per cent of registered voters in a head-to-head matchup, while Trump gets an identical 49 per cent.

Just 2 per cent of voters said they are unsure about the choice, according to NBC News. Meanwhile, Trump and Harris continued to travel to various battleground states to drum up support.

In the overall campaign, Harris has been projecting the election as the one to protect the country's fundamental freedoms, safeguard constitutional values and ensure women's rights.

On his part, Trump has been promising to rebuild the economy and rid the US from illegal migration.

Harris winning in Iowa would be a significant turnabout as the state supported Trump in both 2016 and 2020.

(With inputs from PTI)