According to a new poll, approximately eight in ten Democrat voters approve of Vice President Kamala Harris replacing President Joe Biden as the party's nominee if he drops out of the race.
An Economist/YouGov survey released on Thursday found 79 percent of Democrats would support Harris at the top of the ticket.
"Roughly 28 percent of Democrats said Harris was more likely than Biden to win against Trump," The Hill reports. "About 32 percent said the vice president was just as likely, and 24 percent said she was less likely to defeat the former president in the fall."
The pollsters also found that more than half, 51 percent, of all voters believe Biden should "definitely" or "probably" step aside and let the party nominate someone else.
"Among Democrats who think he should pass the torch, 68 percent said concerns about his age, health or cognitive function is the biggest reason why he should end his reelection bid. About 23 percent listed concerns around his ability to defeat Trump as the main reason," the report added.
A Bendixen & Amandi survey released on July 9 found that a ticket featuring Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris would be the strongest option for Democrats to defeat Trump in November.
The pollsters found that Trump leads Biden by just one point, 43 percent to 42 percent.
However, Clinton leads Trump 43 percent to 41 percent. This is so crazy —
Harris is now running ahead of Trump, 42% to 41%...
but former Secretary of State HILLARY CLINTON is slightly ahead of Harris. Clinton leads Trump 43 percent to 41 percent.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯https://t.co/zqYdAldG0l via @politico
— Lara Korte (@lara_korte) July 9, 2024
Politico, which was the first outlet to cover the survey, reported at the time:Of the 86 percent of likely voters who watched all or part of the debate, just 29 percent said Biden has the mental capacity and physical stamina to serve another four-year term, compared with 61 percent who said he does not. Only 33 percent said he should continue as the Democratic nominee, versus 52 percent who believe he should not. And just half of Democrats said Biden should be the party’s nominee or is mentally and physically fit to serve out another term.
Vice President Kamala Harris is now running ahead of Trump, 42 percent to 41 percent, the survey found. And former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the 2016 nominee who is not being seriously discussed as a candidate by voters anxious about Biden’s chances, is slightly ahead of Harris. Clinton leads Trump 43 percent to 41 percent.
The poll also tested other potential Democratic tickets — and found one headed up by Clinton, with Harris staying on as her vice presidential nominee, in the strongest position. Clinton-Harris is beating Trump 43 percent to 40 percent, a four-point advantage over Biden-Harris.
“Voters have significant concerns about President Biden’s advanced age, and their concerns have only grown louder,” Fernand Amandi, who conducted the poll, told the outlet. “But [they are] still not enough where it has made the race a blowout for Trump.”
