Vice President Kamala Harris maintains a lower favorability rating than President Joe Biden, RealClearPolitics polling average found on Monday.
Harris’s favorability rating is one point less than Biden’s, fueling concerns that Harris might not be the best alternative to Biden atop the Democrat ticket.
- Harris favorability average: 38.1 percent
- Biden’s favorability average: 39.1 percent
Biden, however, holds a greater negative net favorability rating of -17.5 (39.1 -56.6 percent) than Harris, according to RealClearPolitics. The vice president holds a -14.2 percent net favorability rating (38.1 – 52.3).
WATCH — Psaki: DNC “Going to Run a Process” with “Goal” of Making VP Harris Look Strong:
Harris is not very popular with voters. She holds a 38.6 percent approval, according to FiveThirtyEight. Biden’s approval is 38.5 percent.
Both Democrats’ favorability is far less than the 50 percent threshold historically needed for an incumbent to win reelection.
Polling released by former pollster for President Barack Obama, Fernand Amandi, on July 9 appeared to show Harris as politically viable. Amandi’s poll, conducted by Bendixen & Amandi, found Harris led former President Donald Trump by one point (42-41 percent).
It appeared Obama played a significant role behind the scenes in Biden’s decision to step aside. Obama did not question the validity of Biden’s candidacy until Wednesday in a Washington Post leak. The leak followed reports that surfaced just hours before former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), House Democrat Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told the president to step aside.
Former President Barack Obama hugs Vice President Kamala Harris during an Affordable Care Act event with President Joe Biden on April 5, 2022, in the East Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)
The timing of the leak indicates an organized effort by the Democrat leaders to convince Biden to drop out after weeks of chaos within the party amid continued media scrutiny on Biden’s political viability. “The idea here is that Obama, Pelosi, Jeffries, and Schumer do not want to be seen as back-room party bosses engineering a Harris coronation,” Playbook reported. “And if there’s a real challenge then they want to be able to unite the party again when there’s a nominee.”
Democrats appear to be coalescing around Harris, including Hillary and Bill Clinton, and the “Squad.” The top Democrats who have not backed Harris in public are Obama, Pelosi, Jeffries, and Schumer.
President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary Antony Blinken depart after Biden’s remarks on the recent terrorist attacks in Israel, Tuesday, October 10, 2023, in the State Dining Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
Outside of Harris, Democrat nominee contenders include Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC), Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA), Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL), and Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY).
Wendell Husebo is a political reporter with Breitbart News and a former RNC War Room Analyst. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality. Follow Wendell on “X” @WendellHusebø or on Truth Social @WendellHusebo.