Dems view Harris more favorably than Biden as veep starts run for president: poll
More Democrats are fans of Vice President Kamala Harris – the presidential candidate most likely to face Donald Trump in November – than President Biden, according to a new poll.
About 91% of Dem voters said they viewed Harris, 59, favorably, while 80% said they felt that way about Biden, 81, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
Harris was backed by Biden to run for the White House after her boss dropped his re-election bid Sunday as pressure grew for him to step aside.
Harris clinched enough delegate support to secure the Democratic nomination for president, though a formal vote still needs to be held.
The new poll, which was conducted Monday and Tuesday, also found that Harris led Trump, the GOP nominee and ex-president, 44% to 42% in a national survey, which is within the 3-percentage-point margin of error.
The veep previously was tied with Trump, 78, at 44% in theoretical match-up in a July 15-16 poll — taken before Biden bowed out. Trump led by a single point in a July 1-2 poll.
A pollster for Trump’s campaign Tuesday dismissed the slight uptick for Harris, noting she would see a temporary rise in popularity because of the widespread media attention.
“That bump is likely to start showing itself over the next few days and will last for a while,” pollster Tony Fabrizio said in a memo to reporters.
But in a hypothetical three-way race involving independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Harris had a 42%-38% advantage over Trump, the Reuters poll found.
What to know about President Biden's decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race:
- President Biden announced Sunday he is dropping out of the 2024 presidential race — after weeks of prominent Democrats and donors calling on him to withdraw following his disastrous performance in the first presidential debate.
- In a letter posted on X Sunday afternoon, Biden admitted that it is in the “best interest of my party and country” for him to step down as the Democratic nominee.
- Biden wrote that he intends to serve out the remainder of his term and will address the country on his decision later this week.
- In a follow-up X post, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the suddenly open Democratic nomination. “Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” the president wrote.
- Former President Donald Trump reacted to the news by labeling Biden the “worst president in the history of our country” in a call with CNN.
Kennedy scooped up 8% of support in the poll, though he hasn’t qualified for the ballot in many states before November.
The poll also found that about 56% of registered voters agreed with the assertion that Harris was “mentally sharp and able to deal with challenges,” while 49% said the same about Trump.
Just 22% of voters evaluated Biden that way.
The online poll surveyed 1,241 US adults across the country, including 1,018 registered voters.
Various recent polling shows Trump leading Harris 48%-46%, according to the New York Times’ polling average Sunday.
With Post wires
