Despite Trump's better performance on inflation and the economy, Kamala Harris is predicted to win the election, according to a CNBC CFO survey.

• A survey of top CFOs conducted by CNBC reveals that a majority of them believe Vice President Kamala Harris will win the presidential election.
• A majority of C-suite executives surveyed by the CFO believe that former President Donald Trump would be better at managing inflation and the economy.
• Harris has been working to refine her economic message, while Trump has maintained a lead in polls, with a speech to the Economic Club of Pittsburgh on Wednesday and a subsequent interview with MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle.

While election polls predict a close contest between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, top executives in corporate America are preparing for Harris to be the next president of the United States, according to a new CNBC survey of C-suite executives across the economy.

In Q3, 55% of chief financial officers predict Harris will win the election, a reversal from Q2 when 58% believed Trump would win. Currently, 31% of CFOs say Trump will win, while 14% remain unsure. In Q2, 29% of executives were unsure who would win.

A growing number of individuals in the business world believe that Harris will win the election, as indicated by a recent CNBC survey of top economists and money managers.

Despite an equal majority of CFOs (55%) stating that Trump is better on inflation and the economy, the majority belief that Harris will win the election. Only 17% of CFOs said Harris had a better plan for the economy. Inflation and interest rates (38%), followed by tax policy and regulation (both at 24%), were the issues CFOs taking the survey cited as most important to their companies. Trade and tariffs policy, which is a key talking point of Trump and some economists say will lead to higher inflation, was only cited by 7% of CFOs.

The CNBC CFO Council Survey was conducted between August 19 and September 19, coinciding with the presidential debate. The survey represents the opinions of CFOs from large organizations, with 31 chief financial officers responding to the Q3 survey.

Nearly three-quarters (74%) of CFOs anticipate that the government will remain divided after the election, with 45% predicting the Democrats will retain control of the Senate and the GOP will retain control of the House, and 29% expecting a change in party control but a continued divided Hill.

This week, both candidates have been emphasizing their economic plans, with Trump proposing new tax benefits for corporations and Harris refining her economic message in a speech to the Economic Club of Pittsburgh and an interview with MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle on Wednesday evening.

The belief of the CFO that Trump is better on the economy aligns with the former president's lead in most polls on the issue. However, recent polling shows that Harris has managed to reverse this trend.

On Wednesday, the Harris campaign unveiled an 82-page economic blueprint that emphasized her message of an economy that provides opportunities for the middle class. In her speech to the Economic Club of Pittsburgh, Harris discussed tax incentives for companies that offer union jobs in manufacturing towns, such as steel, and tried to differentiate herself from GOP efforts to portray her as an extreme leftist on the economy. "I believe that most companies are doing the right thing by their customers and the employees who depend on them," Harris said. "We must work with them to grow our economy."

Harris has advocated for higher corporate taxes than what President Biden has proposed, but not as high as he has pushed, as she seeks a compromise between his economic policies and a plan that will be more appealing to centrists. Trump has pledged to reduce corporate taxes to their lowest level, which is lower than the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that his administration passed.

In her interview with Stephanie Ruhle on MSNBC on Wednesday night, Harris stated that she is not angry at anyone for being wealthy, but they should contribute their fair share in taxes. She criticized tax cuts for billionaires and large corporations, arguing that they do not pay much attention to the needs of middle-class families. Harris believes that growing the middle class is crucial for a strong American economy.

Mark Cuban, a billionaire, has become an economic spokesman for Kamala Harris's campaign, stating on CNBC that she is pro-business and different from Joe Biden. He emphasized that she takes a centrist approach, particularly regarding taxes.

A letter endorsing Harris was recently released by a group of over 80 former top CEOs, totaling more than 80 corporate leaders.

In the Ruhle interview, Harris emphasized her ties to big business, stating that she has spent considerable time with CEOs. She added that business leaders who are key drivers of America's economy support her plan to invest in the middle class, new industries, lowering costs, and supporting small businesses. As a result, the overall economy thrives, and everyone benefits.

In a speech on Wednesday in Georgia, former President Trump discussed an economic issue that is crucial to CFOs and corporate finance, specifically research and development expenses. Trump announced that he would expand R&D tax credits, allowing U.S.-based operations to fully expense costs in the first year of operation. This issue has been a significant lobbying effort on Capitol Hill for the corporate sector since the 2017 tax cuts phased out traditional R&D tax credits.

The push for full expensing of R&D and expanded child tax credits has garnered broad bipartisan support among legislators, but not enough votes to pass through both the House and Senate in multiple attempts, including a recent failed effort in August, supported by President Biden and some high-ranking GOP members on the Hill.

In the survey, several CFOs mentioned the R&D tax expense issue as a top priority for tax planning in relation to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which will expire in 2025. Additionally, CFOs cited the construction of new factories and facilities and increasing R&D spending as their top priorities for capital expenditures in the next year.