This combination of photos shows Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, left, and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris during an ABC News presidential debate at the National Constitution Center, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save If you’ve made it this far since the presidential debate and are done talking about dogs and cats being eaten, you're probably ready to vote.
We’re at less than two months from election day, and since the national polls are coming from all directions about who might win, Lafayette Power Poll voters got to offer their take in this month's poll. The poll also asked to digest the much-analyzed Sept. 10 debate.
Did Vice President Kamala Harris outperform former President Donald Trump in that debate? Most national polls and analysts agreed that Harris fared well. In the Lafayette Power Poll, voters agreed about 2 to 1 that Harris outperformed the former president. Voters had other thoughts about the debate and the race, and that will come later.
Nearly 70% of those polled declared Harris the winners, including 42% who felt that she crushed it. Only 18% gave Trump the nod, including three voters who thought he crushed it. Voters had a chance to digest the big takeaways from the debate, including whether or not moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis were unfairly fact-checking Trump along with Trump’s claim that the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Dobbs case was always meant to kick the decision of whether or not to legalize abortion to the states.
As for the moderators, 49% felt they treated Trump accordingly after the former president made claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating people’s pets and that babies were being executed in some states after they were born as a form of abortion. Moderators quickly disputed both of Trump’s claims during the debate. Yet 44% of voters indicated Trump was treated unfairly since moderators did not fact-check Harris during the debate.
In regard to the abortion issue, which is becoming as important an issue to voters as the economy, Trump indicated the Supreme Court ruling was always meant to toss the abortion question back to the states. Except that’s not what’s happened in many states, including Louisiana. Republican lawmakers at the capitol currently hold a supermajority, and without a way for voters to put something directly on the ballot, there’s virtually no chance of that happening.
Only six states have put the issue up for a vote, and voters preserved abortion rights in each one. Another 10 states have plans to put it on the ballot. But what if it did go up for a vote in Louisiana? Power Poll voters strongly supported a vote here in Louisiana with 63% in favor, 20% not in favor and 17% not sure.
Presidential predictions, again: Voters again were asked how they would vote and their prediction for election day, and there were interesting results. Those breakdown went 46% Harris and 34% Trump, similar to last month’s 46%-32% breakdown. Each time the undecided was at 17%.
But on the prediction, the undecided vote rose to 33% after being at 29% last month. Predictions went 43%-24% Harris over Trump compared to 45%-26% last month. The poll: Conducted online Tuesday through Thursday, The Lafayette Power Poll survey is not a scientific inquiry and is distinctly nonpartisan.
But because it asks questions of leaders from various sectors throughout Acadiana, it does afford insight into the thoughts and opinions of the community. Of 580 Power Poll members surveyed, 222 voted for a participation rate of 38.28%.
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