Majority of Democrats think Kamala Harris would make a good president: poll
WASHINGTON - A majority of Democrats think Vice President Kamala Harris would make a good commander-in-chief if President Joe Biden opts to end his reelection bid, according to a new poll.
The poll, conducted on July 11-15, by the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, found that about 6 in 10 Democrats believe Harris would do a good job in the top slot.
US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a moderated conversation with former Trump administration national security official Olivia Troye and former Republican voter Amanda Stratton on July 17, 2024, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. (Photo by Chris duMond/G
About 2 in 10 Democrats don’t believe she would, and another 2 in 10 say they don’t know enough to say.
RELATED: What happens if Biden steps out of the race?
The poll comes as Biden faces a growing chorus of Democratic officials, donors and strategists calling on him to exit the presidential race.
Since his debate debacle on June 27, many Democrats have privately and even openly looked to Harris to step in and succeed Biden as the party’s presidential nominee, believing she has a better chance against GOP nominee Donald Trump, according to the Associated Press.
The same poll found that, in general, two-thirds of Democrats would prefer a new nominee.
Meanwhile, Harris has remained completely loyal to Biden – serving as one of his toughest defenders in the aftermath of the poor debate performance.
How Americans view Kamala Harris
The AP/NORC poll included 1,253 adults and is designed to be representative of the U.S. population.
Black adults — a key contingent of the Democrats’ coalition and a group that remains relatively more favorable to Biden than others — are more likely than Americans overall to say that Harris would do well, according to the poll.
As for Americans more broadly, they are more skeptical of how Harris would perform as president, the AP/NORC poll found.
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Only about 3 in 10 U.S. adults overall say Harris would do well as president. About half say Harris would not do a good job in the role, and 2 in 10 say they don’t know enough to say.
Harris’ favorability rating is similar to Biden’s, but the share of Americans who have an unfavorable opinion of her is somewhat lower. The poll showed that about 4 in 10 U.S. adults have a favorable opinion of Harris, while about half have an unfavorable opinion.
There are more Americans with a negative view of Biden: approximately 6 in 10. About 1 in 10 Americans say they don’t know enough to have an opinion of Harris, whereas nearly everyone has an opinion on Biden.
About three-quarters of Democrats have a positive view of Harris, which is in line with how Democrats view Biden. Seven in 10 have a favorable view of him.
Harris is more popular among Black Americans than she is among white or Hispanic adults. She is more disliked by men than she is by women, according to the poll.
What percentage of Democrats prefer a new nominee?
What Americans think about other potential replacements
Other prominent Democrats who have been floated as potential replacements are less known than Harris is, according to the poll.
About 4 in 10 U.S. adults don’t have an opinion of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and half are unfamiliar with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Newsom is seen, overall, slightly more negatively than positively. Americans are divided about evenly on Whitmer: 24% have a favorable view and 22% have an unfavorable view.
More Democrats see Harris rather than Newsom or Whitmer as someone who would make a good president, though that's partly because they're relative unknowns.
About one-third of Democrats say Newsom would make a good president, and half don’t know enough to say. About one-quarter of Democrats say Whitmer would do well, and about two-thirds don’t know enough to say.
Trump’s running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, is unknown to most Americans.
In the AP-NORC poll, which was conducted before Trump made Vance his vice presidential choice, 6 in 10 Americans don’t know enough about him to form an opinion. About 2 in 10 U.S. adults have a favorable view of Vance, and about 2 in 10 view him negatively. Among Republicans, 61% don’t know enough to have an opinion of Vance. About one-quarter have a positive view of him, and roughly 1 in 10 have a negative view.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.