WASHINGTON (AP) — As president Joe Biden Trump is facing growing pressure to not seek reelection, but most Democrats believe his vice president would make a good president himself.
About 60% of Democrats say they Kamala Harris She would do a good job if she got the top job. About 2 in 10 Democrats don’t think she would, and another 2 in 10 say they don’t have enough information to judge.
Biden’s The debate fiasco Many Democrats privately and publicly hoped that Harris would succeed Biden as the party’s presidential nominee, believing she had a chance against Republican candidate Donald Trump in the June 27 debate. Meanwhile, Harris has remained completely loyal to Biden and has been one of his strongest defenders following his dismal performance in the debate.
Oakley Graham, a Democrat from Greenwood, Missouri, said he was “pretty happy” with Biden’s performance in office but would have been more inclined to support Harris if she had been the top candidate and that it was “about time” to have a woman as president.
“I know he has unfinished business,” Graham, 30, said of Biden, “but it’s good to see people of color, women, young people stepping up and leading the charge. Hopefully it will inspire the younger generation to be more engaged.”
Black Adults – Main delegation Supporters of the Democratic coalition and groups who view Biden more favorably than other supporters are more likely to say Harris would do well than Americans overall.
Americans in general are skeptical about how Harris would perform in the Oval Office: Only about 3 in 10 US adults overall say they think Harris would do a good job as president, while about half say she wouldn’t, and 2 in 10 say they don’t know enough about her to make a judgment.
Harris’ favorability rating is about the same as Biden’s, but the percentage of Americans with an unfavorable opinion is slightly lower. The poll found that about four in 10 U.S. adults have a favorable opinion of Harris, while about half have an unfavorable opinion. About six in 10 Americans have an unfavorable opinion of Biden, more than Biden. About one in 10 Americans say they don’t know enough about Harris to form an opinion, but almost all have an opinion about Biden.
About three-quarters of Democrats have a favorable view of Harris, which is in line with how Democrats view Biden: Seven in 10 have a favorable view of Harris.
What you need to know about the 2024 election
- Read the latest news: Follow AP’s live coverage This year’s election.
- Democracy: American democracy has weathered a major stress test since 2020. Further challenges await in 2024.
- AP Role: The Associated Press is the most trusted source of news on election night, with accuracy dating back to 1848. learn more.
- Stay updated. Stay on top of the latest news with breaking news email alerts. Register here.
Shannon Bailey, a Democrat from Tampa, praised Biden’s work as president, particularly his infrastructure legislation and efforts to curb inflation, and said he “will be fondly remembered.” But she has a more favorable view of Harris than the incumbent president, because she seems “better equipped to handle the demanding nature of the job.”
“It’s not just physical stamina that’s important right now, it’s cognitive reasoning that’s important,” said Bailey, 34. “It’s important to be able to communicate today’s Democratic policies succinctly and persuasively.”
Bailey said Democrats need a running mate who can join Harris “in really motivating people to get to the polls,” but questioned whether Biden could play that role effectively.
Harris has been the administration’s leading voice on abortion issues and is well-liked by many Democrats.
“I think she’s a strong supporter of abortion, always has been and always will be,” said Thomas Mattman, a Democrat from Chico, Calif. “They picked a white man as their candidate, and both of them have been pretty specific about their opposition to abortion, so I think that’s going to be a very strong argument.”
Mattman, 59, said he doesn’t think Biden will be able to beat Republican nominee Donald Trump, calling the prospect “very disturbing.” He said Harris would be a much stronger candidate because Biden won’t be able to “pressure” his opponent and expose his weaknesses.
Harris is more popular among black Americans than white and Hispanic adults, and more disliked by men than women.
Other prominent Democrats being mentioned as possible successors are less well known than Harris, and roughly 4 in 10 U.S. adults have no opinion of the California governor. Gavin Newsomhalf don’t know who Michigan’s governor is. Gretchen WhitmerViews of Governor Newsom are generally more negative than positive. Americans are roughly evenly split on Governor Whitmer, with 24% holding a favorable view and 22% holding an unfavorable view.
More Democrats see Harris as someone who would make a good president, in part because she is less well known. About a third of Democrats say Newsom would be a good president, and half don’t know enough to say. About a quarter of Democrats say Whitmer would do well, and about two-thirds don’t know enough to say.
Trump’s Vice Presidential Candidate, Senator J.D. Vance Vance, a native of Ohio, is unknown to most Americans. In an AP-NORC poll conducted before Trump selected Vance as his running mate, 6 in 10 said they didn’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 have an unfavorable view. Among Republicans, 61 percent say they don’t know enough about Vance to form an opinion. About a quarter have a favorable view of him and about 1 in 10 have an unfavorable view.
___
The poll was conducted July 11-15, 2024 among 1,253 adults using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
