Harris leads on protecting democracy; Trump ahead on keeping US safe: Gallup

Vice President Harris and former President Trump are locked in a tight race with Election Day less than a week away — but voters are split on which candidate is best for democracy and national security.

A Gallup survey published Friday shows more than half of voters say Harris would do better than the former president when it comes to protecting democracy, 52 percent to 44 percent, and bringing about national unity, 54 percent to 41 percent.

Trump, however, has the edge when it comes to protecting the U.S. from foreign threats. The GOP presidential nominee garners 53 percent support when it comes to protecting the county U.S. soil compared to 45 percent who said the same about Harris, according to the poll.

The results largely fall within partisan lines. Among Republicans and Republican-leaning respondents, 96 percent say the former president is the preferred candidate to protect national security. About 86 percent of Democrats said the vice president would be best, the survey found.

Similarly, 96 percent of Democrats believe Harris is the best candidate to preserve democratic principles, and 89 percent of Republicans said the same for Trump. Only 82 percent of Republicans said the former president was their preferred candidate for promoting national unity, the data shows.

The economy ranked as the most important issue to voters heading to the ballot box. Just more than 20 percent of voters listed the economy as their priority in the poll. Roughly 35 percent of Republicans and 7 percent of Democrats said the issue was most important to them.

Another 13 percent of registered voters said immigration and 9 percent said abortion were among their top issues, according to the survey. More Democrats than Republicans ranked the preservation of democracy as a top issue — 14 percent to 8 percent.

Gallup pollsters also noted that registered voters have largely decided on who their candidate of choice is compared to a similar poll taken in August. Now, 93 percent of voters have made up their mind — up from 83 percent in the previous survey.

The Hill/Decision Desk HQ's polling index shows Harris with a slim lead over Trump nationally — 48.1 percent to 47.7 percent.

The Gallup poll was conducted Oct. 14-27 among 933 registered voters in the U.S. and has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.