FiveThirtyEight’s top politics stories this week

[FiveThirtyEight]( Popular in Politics Thursday, August, 15, 2024 [1. JD Vance is more unpopular than Sarah Palin]( [JD Vance is more unpopular than Sarah Palin]( It's important to make a good first impression — whether you're on a first date, interviewing for a job or running to be vice president of the United States. And the two men who recently joined the Republican and Democratic presidential tickets have made very different first impressions. [Read more]( [2. Americans don't like Project 2025]( [Americans don't like Project 2025]( Welcome to Pollapalooza, our occasional polling column. [Read more]( [3. Will Harris's late start help or hurt her in the general election?]( [Will Harris's late start help or hurt her in the general election?]( When the 2024 nomination process [kicked off this past winter]( Democrats [knew that their nominee]( would be President Joe Biden. After all, the incumbent faced [only token opposition]( in the primaries. Not until after Biden's poor showing in a late June debate did the prospect of a change [become remotely feasible]( — and even then, [it initially seemed unlikely](. Then, in the span of [barely two weeks]( Biden announced [he would not seek reelection]( and [endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris]( for the nomination, Democratic party leaders [rapidly coalesced]( around Harris, the Democratic National Committee [announced their procedures]( for formally selecting a nominee, and Democratic delegates voted virtually [to officially make Harris the party's choice](. [Read more]( [4. Harris and Trump are tied in 538’s new polling averages]( [Harris and Trump are tied in 538’s new polling averages]( Good news, polling fans: 538 now has polling averages for the new presidential matchup between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. As of Friday at 10 a.m. Eastern, our [average of national polls]( says Harris has the support of 45.0 percent of voters, while Trump garners 43.5 percent. [Read more]( [5. 6 primaries to watch in Minnesota and Wisconsin]( [6 primaries to watch in Minnesota and Wisconsin]( It's been a busy few days for politics in the Midwest. Last Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris [selected Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz]( as her running mate on the Democratic ticket, the fourth time in the last 60 years that a Minnesotan will be the Democratic vice presidential nominee. And this week, Minnesota and Wisconsin will hold primaries for federal and state legislative offices, dominating the slate of primaries happening on Aug. 13 (Connecticut and Vermont also have primaries but don't have any major contests). [Read more]( [FiveThirtyEight] [View in browser]( [ABC News]( [Unsubscribe](