Kamala Harris Gains Acceptance Among Democrats After  Joe Biden’s Exit: AP-NORC Poll

A poll conducted shortly after Biden’s withdrawal found about 80% of Democrats very or somewhat satisfied with Kamla Harris being the Democratic presidential nominee. This is a dramatic turn from an earlier AP-NORC poll, which showed only around 40% of Democrats who were confident with Biden after his debate against former President Donald Trump.

Increase in Democratic Support of Kamala Harris

With President Joe Biden opting to drop his intention to run for the presidential elections in 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris is now pumping energy into the core Democratic base. There has been a significant increase in Democratic satisfaction with Kamala Harris as their potential nominee, as per the poll conducted recently conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Source: The Telegraph

That rapid change of tone reflected how fast the party was already starting to get behind Harris, fueled by new appeal and reinvigorated confidence in prospects against Trump. It was the first time Gary Hines, a Democrat from Philadelphia, was enthused by Harris: “She’s up to the task; can do the work, and so far, has really shown she is running a very good campaign.” While Hines said Harris hadn’t exactly blown him away, he felt motivated now to go out and work on her behalf.

Rising Support for Kamala Harris

It also shows that Americans are increasingly likely to say Harris would make a good president, driven almost entirely by Democrats. However, it also indicated that there are several challenges ahead as 56% of US adults expect Trump to be more likely to win if he faces Harris in November.

Harris now holds immense support from two of the vital Democratic constituencies, with about 70 percent of Black adults and 50 percent of Hispanic adults who would be satisfied with Harris as the nominee, a marked improvement from the earlier opinion of Biden. She gained more increased support from younger adults, with some 40 percent satisfied with Harris versus 17 percent for B  iden in July.

Harris’ overall favorability increases to 46 percent, while eight in ten Democrats view her positively, up from seven in ten in early June. Harris would break a triple barrier, as the first woman, the first Black woman, and the first South Asian American to be president. About 40% say it would be good for the country for either a woman or a person of color to be elected president.

The move on withdrawal is widely known, with 54 percent of Americans aware of Biden’s step. About three-quarters approve of his move to that effect, majorities in both the Democratic and Republican camps. Several Democrats reacted to Biden’s debate performance of late and said that he should step aside because he was too old for the task ahead and did not serve well regarding public performance.

While Biden’s support for Harris is somewhat polarizing, it does enjoy overwhelming support from Democrats. On the other hand, serving out his term as president seems well-received. Biden’s overall ratings stay steady and are about 40 percent positive among Americans and three-quarters among Democrats.

Ahead of Elections

As Harris begins crisscrossing, she’ll be running against a president with a dedicated base, too. Most Americans are convinced that Trump will win a second time around; 90 percent of Republicans and 70 percent of Democrats believe he will win.

Still, Harris backers are optimistic. “She definitely has what it takes,” Lauren Schulman, a Florida Democrat, said of the California senator. “She is just like a bright, shining star. I mean, compared to Trump, she is young and energetic.” Schulman acknowledges that Democrats have reason to be wary. “Democrats, we’re like a real, nervous, paranoid bunch these days.

The AP-NORC poll was conducted July 25-29, 2024, using a sample of 1,143 adults representative of the U.S. population. For all respondents, the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.