Vice President Kamala Harris entering into Democratic National Convention Democrats are gaining enthusiasm and their favorability ratings among Americans overall are steadily rising.
Nearly half of U.S. adults — 48% — have a very or somewhat favorable view of Harris, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That’s up from 39% at the start of the summer, just before the polls began. President Joe Biden’s poor performance in debate against former President Donald Trump Ultimately, he had to drop out of the presidential race.
This is not only an improvement for Harris, but also that President Joe Biden Before Trump was ousted, 38% said they had a favorable opinion of him. That’s slightly better than the 41% of adults who say they have a favorable opinion of Trump.
The increase in favorability for Harris comes as more Americans overall have formed an opinion about her, while Harris and the Trump campaign continue to define his budding candidacy. The share of those who say they don’t know enough about her to form an opinion has fallen by half, from 12% in June to 6% now.
The latest measurement is in line with Americans’ view of Harris in early 2021, when she and Biden first took office. It signals a renewed positivity toward Harris — the share of Americans with a “very favorable” opinion of her has also increased over the same period — but she is at risk of reaching a ceiling as she approaches her previous highest rating.
Potential strength for Harris
Since June, Harris’s popularity has risen slightly among some groups that typically support the Democratic Party. She has seen modest increases in popularity among Democrats, independents, women, and young adults under the age of 30. There has been no significant shift among black adults or Hispanic adults — other constituencies where Harris will need support in November.
Half of adults under 30 have a very or somewhat favorable view of Harris in the latest survey, up from 34% in June. That’s because while more young adults have formed opinions about her, the share of adults who say they don’t know enough to say no has dropped from about 2 in 10 to about 1 in 10. The number of young adults who have an unfavorable view of her hasn’t changed much.
The favorability level for Harris is relatively high among Black adults, though it has been relatively stable over the past month. Nearly two-thirds of Black adults have a very or somewhat positive view of Harris. This includes nearly 4 in 10 who say they have a “very favorable” opinion of her. Black adults are more likely to have a favorable perception of Harris than Americans overall. About 6 in 10 Black men and women have a positive view of Harris.
Johnita Johnson, a 45-year-old Black woman who lives in North Carolina, said she plans to vote for Harris in November, but she wants the campaign to be honest and realistic about what it can promise. She generally has trouble with politicians who overpromise what they can accomplish while in office.
“If (Harris) could do exactly what she wants to do and what she says she’ll do, she would do a wonderful job,” Johnson said. “Well, we all know that’s not going to happen. She might get to do some of the things she wanted to do. Will she do everything? I can’t say she will. And she can’t promise me that.”
Johnson said that while Harris is a historic candidate because of her race and gender, that’s not something that should factor into his support.
“It doesn’t matter who it was. … As long as they’re good, and good for us, that’s all that matters to me,” Johnson said. “Yeah, of course, for a lot of people, it’s exciting because she’s black and she’s the first woman. But I’m not focusing on that.”
Harris’ potential weaknesses
To win in November, Harris’s team will try to limit the extent to which Trump can increase his vote total among white and male voters, groups that have leaned Republican in recent elections. Currently, about half of men have an unfavorable view of Harris. About 6 in 10 white men have a negative view of her. White men without a college degree, a group that has traditionally made up Trump’s strong base of support, are especially likely to say they have an unfavorable view of her.
Harris is viewed more positively by white women, especially those with college degrees. Six in 10 white women with college degrees think positively of her, while four in 10 of those without a degree think positively of her. Overall, white women are divided about her: 49% have a favorable opinion of her and 46% have a negative opinion of her.
Views about Harris have remained fairly steady among older adults. About half of adults over the age of 60 have a positive view of her. This is generally in line with 46% of this group in June.
Brian Mowrer, a 64-year-old recent retiree in Mishicot, Wisconsin, who was a staunch Republican until voting for President Barack Obama in 2012, plans to vote for Harris in November. He liked Biden and thought he could work for another term, but when it became clear his electoral chances were dwindling, he was ultimately glad Biden withdrew from the race.
“I think it’s awesome that Biden stepped down and they picked Kamala Harris,” he said. “Well, I would probably support any Democrat at this point.”
Mowrer is motivated to make sure Trump doesn’t get the opportunity to nominate more conservative judges to the Supreme Court, as he worries about further losing the separation between church and state in America. He’s also concerned about choosing someone who will defend access to abortion, which he considers a personal liberty issue. He believes Harris will focus on both issues.
“I think she’s very good. She presents very well. I think she’s very authentic,” he said. “The policies, or at least the things she wants to do, are very much in line with what I’ve been thinking needs to be done.”
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