Trump and Harris are essentially tied in the Michigan, Wisconsin: NYT/Siena College poll

Former President Trump narrowed Vice President Kamala Harris' small lead in the battleground states of Michigan and Wisconsin, a new New York Times/Siena College poll found.

Among likely voters in Michigan, Harris received 48% support while Trump got 47%, giving the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates a substantial tie that was well within the poll's margin of error. According to the Times, Harris was at 49% among likely voters in Wisconsin, while Trump received 47% in the same state where polls typically overestimate support for Democrats.

The Times pointed to the economy as still the most important issue for voters as Trump's strength on economic issues helps him expand Harris' narrow lead in the two northern battlegrounds.

The new poll contrasts with the August New York Times/Siena College poll, which had Harris leading Trump by four percentage points, 50% to 46% among likely voters, including in the battleground states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. This poll was the first conducted as the race reshaped and Harris became the presidential candidate following President Biden's exit from the contest in July.

FOX NEWS POLL: HARRIS, TRUMP IN CLOSE RACE IN NORTH CAROLINA

Former President Donald Trump speaks to attendees during a campaign rally at the Prairie Du Chien Area Arts Center in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, on September 28, 2024. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Now, with less than 40 days until the Nov. 5 election, Harris is leading Trump by 9 percentage points in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, according to New York Times/Siena College polls, whose sole electoral vote in the Electoral College could be crucial . The Times says Harris could get exactly the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House if she takes this district – assuming the vice president also wins Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and Trump wins in the battleground states of the Sun Belt .

Although Ohio doesn't fall into the category of presidential battleground states, it is home to one of the toughest Senate contests in the country between Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and Republican challenger Bernie Moreno. According to New York Times/Siena College polls, Trump is six points ahead of Harris in Ohio, while Brown leads Moreno by four points.

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Vice President Kamala Harris poses during the live-streamed Unite for America rally in Farmington Hills, Michigan, September 19, 2024. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Democrats have enjoyed a lead in presidential polls in Wisconsin for months, measuring less than a percentage point in four of the last six elections, including the 2020 election, the Times notes. Meanwhile, Biden led Michigan by three points in 2020, while Trump won the Wolverine State by three-tenths of a point in 2016.

Abortion was ranked the second most important issue by voters in Michigan and Wisconsin.

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The new poll found that 18% of voters in the two states named abortion as their top issue. This represents an increase since May, when 13% of voters in Michigan and Wisconsin listed it as their top issue. On the issue of abortion, Harris leads Trump by 20 points in Michigan, but only by 13 points in Wisconsin. Harris held a 22-point lead over Trump on the abortion issue in the Badger State in August.