The 2024 presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is unprecedented on multiple fronts. For starters, Harris' ascension to the Democratic nomination comes only after President Biden suspended his own efforts at a second term and endorsed Harris.

Many Americans didn't see this coming. However, the switch to the vice president has generated significant enthusiasm amongst voters that simply didn't exist with Biden leading the Democratic ticket.

Thus far, Harris is closing different poll leads that Trump once had, especially in competitive battleground states. Though when breaking down the poll numbers a bit further, a profound gender gap becomes readily apparent.

Women vs. men in 2024

Multiple polls show while the vice president has stronger support amongst women than men, the inverse applies to Trump, who fares better with male voters than female voters. This dichotomy holds true not just in one survey of the 2024 race, but across multiple polls.

Data gathered by the New York Times, Siena College, and Quinnipiac University depicts Harris with double-digit leads among women while Trump holds double-digit backing from men.

Political pundits and experts have some thoughts about this trend. According to public affairs professor Melissa Deckman, a "gender gap" is rapidly growing between women and men across the board. This pertains to not just support for Harris vs. Trump, but also other matters like political engagement, voting, and opinions on various issues.

Educator Jackson Katz feels another factor driving the divide between the sexes is the messaging from political parties. Katz specifically argued that Democrats suffer from lackluster outreach to men, especially men who spend a lot of time on the internet, and haven't appropriately countered messaging from the "misogynous manosphere."

Every vote counts

All signs indicate the 2024 race for the White House will be close. Right now, Harris is leading Trump in multiple swing states. However, whichever contender wins on November 5 will only be able to do so with a broad coalition of support.

That means getting not just the female vote or male vote. The next president will also have to win over Independents, undecided voters, and moderates. At the end of the day, these demographics can make or break any candidate's political aspirations.