Poll: Kamala Harris leads in WA; voters feel a glimmer of optimism

Democrats are feeling more hopeful than Republicans, with 47% of those who intend to vote for Democrats saying they feel positive versus 26% of those who intend to vote for Republicans. Dems were also more likely to feel anxious about 2024, with 35% saying they’re worried about the election versus 16% of Republicans.  

Dukelow is one of those worried Republicans. She said Trump scares her and her husband.  

“If he gets his way, he wants to be president for life … and he seems to get away with just about everything he tries,” Dukelow said. “We’re old enough that it doesn’t matter, but I worry about grandkids and great-grandkids.” 

Tammie Lillehaug thinks 2024 will be the most important election of her lifetime. The 56-year-old Burien Democrat said the overturn of Roe v. Wade is top of mind for her, and that abortion rights feel inextricably linked to the outcome of this presidential race.  

“My whole lifetime, that has been a pretty solid right for a woman,” Lillehaug said. “Never did I think 10 years ago that’d be in question. For me and the stories I’ve heard in other states where that’s been taken away, that’s just frightening.” 

Though worried about how November will play out, Lillehaug said she thinks things are generally trending better nationally, statewide and locally.  

“I’ve not necessarily seen things get better, but problems are being more recognized and talked about at this point,” said Lillehaug. “I have hope for that at least. We’re not shoving problems under the rug. I think we did that a long time with crime and addiction.” 

She’s not alone. The Cascade PBS/Elway voter outlook index found that people think things are heading in a better direction now than they did even a year ago.  

In the most recent poll, 48% of respondents said they expect things to get better, versus 38% who expect things to get worse in the next year. In December 2023, only 34% said they expected things to get better compared to 53% who said they expected things to get worse.  

The numbers were similar at the state and local level, with 46% responding they think things will get better in Washington state and 56% saying things will get better in their community.  

Once again, Democrats are feeling more hopeful than Republicans, with 67% of self-identified Democrats thinking things looked better for the country. That’s compared to 52% of self-identified Republicans who said things were looking worse for the country. 

The new Cascade PBS/Elway poll also asked voters about Sen. Maria Cantwell’s re-election campaign against Republican challenger Dr. Raul Garcia. Like Harris, Cantwell is on track for an easy victory over the Republican, with 55% of respondents saying they’d vote for her compared to 33% who plan to vote for Garcia. The poll revealed a similar breakdown when people were asked if they plan to vote for a Democrat or a Republican to represent them in the U.S. House. 

This article was updated to correct a typo in the poll result numbers.