Nearly half of renters in the United States believe Vice President Kamala Harris would be a better candidate to help improve housing affordability in the country than former President Donald Trump.
A new survey from Redfin asked 894 renters aged 18 to 65 who they thought was capable of making homes in the US more affordable. Nearly half or 48.4% of renters said Harris would be better for the housing market. In comparison, 31.2% said Trump would be best. About 18.7% of renters were not sure who would be better.
In terms of who they would vote for, 43.6% of renters surveyed said they plan to vote for Harris on Nov. 5, while 28% plan to vote for Trump. That said, 12.3% said they do not plan on voting, and 11.7% said they were still undecided.
Why More Renters Chose Kamala Harris
Renters tend to skew Democratic because many of them are young and reside in cities where the cost of living is more expensive, according to Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather.
In her campaign, Harris touted plans to build at least three million housing units over four years as part of an effort to resolve the shortage of supply in the housing market, per a memo from the Harris-Walz campaign.
In addition, Harris also spoke of plans to offer up to $25,000 in down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, specifically working families who have "paid rent on time for two years."
What Has Trump Said About the Housing Market
On the other hand, Trump has not laid down a clear plan to improve housing affordability in the US. However, he said he would ban undocumented immigrants from obtaining home loans to reduce prices.
For perspective, lenders issued more than 3.4 million home mortgages in 2023. Of these, undocumented immigrants accounted for only 5,000 to 6,000 of these loans, per the Wall Street Journal, citing federal government data and estimates from the Urban Institute in Washington.
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