Before President Biden announced he would discontinue his re-election campaign and endorsed Vice President Harris, recent polls that had been conducted after his disastrous debate performance showed little difference between how he matched up against former President Trump compared to how Harris would.
The New York Times assessed that Harris falls about two percentage points behind Trump in recent polls. The 46% to 48% difference is slightly better for Harris compared to how Biden polled on average – three percentage points behind the Republican presidential nominee, 47% to 44%.
A New York Times/Siena College poll conducted in the battleground state of Pennsylvania from July 9-11, before Biden dropped out and before the assassination attempt on Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, showed Harris was only behind by one percentage point in a hypothetical matchup against Trump.
In Virginia, Harris had a five percentage point lead, compared to Biden only polling ahead of Trump in the same state by a razor-thin margin, according to the Times. Harris polled slightly better than Biden in both states among Black voters, younger voters and women.
HARRIS OUTPERFORMS BIDEN IN 2024 SHOWDOWN WITH TRUMP: POLL
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. (Chris duMond/Getty Images)
According to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll conducted July 5-9, 70% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents indicated that they would be “satisfied” if Biden withdrew from the race and Harris was nominated to run as the 2024 Democratic presidential candidate.
In an open-ended question, that poll showed 29% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents named Harris as their pick for the Democratic nomination if Biden bowed out.
Former President Trump held his first public campaign rally with his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, on July 20, 2024, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
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Seven percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents referenced California Gov. Gavin Newsom, while 4% said they wanted former first lady Michelle Obama as Biden’s replacement. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer each had 3% of support, though half of Democrats did not specify an alternative candidate.
The White House is seen in Washington, D.C., on July 21, 2024. President Biden on that same day dropped out of the presidential election and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s new nominee. (SAMUEL CORUM/AFP via Getty Images)
As pressure mounted from Democrat lawmakers and donors for Biden to step aside, a poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research released last week found that about six in 10 Democrats believe that Harris would do a good job as president herself. About two in 10 Democrats do not believe she would, and another two in 10 say they do not know enough to say.
Results of a CNN poll conducted by SSRS and released on July 2 indicated that three-quarters of voters say the Democratic Party would have a better chance of keeping the White House with someone else other than Biden at the top of the party’s ticket. In a hypothetical match-up, 47% of registered voters supported Trump compared to 45% for Harris, a difference that fell within the survey’s margin of error.
Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.