Vice President Kamala Harris faces a significant challenge if she aims to succeed President Joe Biden, according to a recent Politico/Morning Consult poll. The poll highlights considerable skepticism among voters about Harris’s electability. It found that only 14% of voters believe it is “very likely” that Harris would win a general election if she were the Democratic nominee, with another 20% considering it “somewhat likely.”
The recent poll is notable also because of Biden’s age. At 81 years old, he is definitely showing signs of cognitive decline, as evidenced by a recent moment of confusion at a June 6 D-Day ceremony that went viral. The incident is just one in a series of similar occurrences; despite this, Biden is still in close competition with former President Donald Trump, although several polls indicate that Trump is currently leading.
There has been speculation about the possibility of Democrats trying to replace Biden at the Democratic convention in Chicago in August due to his recent incidents. While this would be an unusual move, it is not impossible. If Biden were to be removed, the question of who could replace him would naturally arise. However, at the moment, voters appear to lack confidence in Harris’s ability to win.
The Politico/Morning Consult poll also explored voter preferences for the 2028 presidential election, assuming President Joe Biden does not run. While Harris topped the list among Democrats, she garnered only 21% support. California Governor Gavin Newsom and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg each received 10% support. A significant 41% of respondents were unsure or did not know who they would prefer.
The poll further assessed perceptions of Harris’s character traits, finding that only 42% of respondents viewed her as trustworthy and 44% as honest. But that said, only 36% of those surveyed believed Biden should replace Harris as his vice-presidential running mate.
Harris is more known for her rambling responses to questions that don’t often require a lengthy answer than she is for solving any of the problems that Biden has given her while in office. And Harris appeared to engage in yet another “word salad” response during a segment on the “I’ve Had It” podcast in April. The VP appeared to lose focus while discussing the nature of democracy with co-hosts Jennifer Welch and Angie “Pumps” Sullivan.
“It’s important to see that, you know, the nature of democracy, there’s a duality to it. It has two sides to it. On the one hand, there’s incredible strength, right, that when a democracy is intact, what it does for its people, in terms of the strength it gives its people and protects, in terms of individual freedoms and rights, right, and liberties. There’s an incredible strength in that, what it does for its people, when it is intact. On the other hand, democracy — extraordinarily fragile,” Harris said. “It’s only as strong as our willingness to fight for it. That’s by nature what a democracy is. It is about the people,” she continued.
WATCH:
WORD SALAD: Kamala explains the “nature of democracy” pic.twitter.com/NSwScmTrb5
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 10, 2024