The content discusses the potential dynamics of Vice President Kamala Harris running for president against former President Donald Trump, following President Joe Biden’s announcement that he will not seek reelection. Before Biden’s decision, polling showed that Harris was performing better against Trump than Biden was. In a hypothetical matchup, Harris had 45% support to Trump’s 47%, while Biden trailed by 6 points. Harris did particularly well among women, political independents, movable voters, and voters of color, areas where Biden struggled.
Among women, Harris had the support of 50% compared to Trump’s 43%, while Biden only had 44% support. Suburban women also favored Harris over Trump by a larger margin than they did for Biden. Independents were split evenly between Harris and Trump, while Biden trailed by 10 points among that group. Movable voters were also more likely to support Harris over Trump compared to Biden, indicating potential for Harris to gain more support among undecided voters.
Voters of color overwhelmingly supported Harris over Trump, with 58% favoring her compared to 29% for Trump, whereas Biden had slightly less support in this group. Among younger voters, Harris also outperformed Biden, although her support still lagged behind previous Democratic presidential candidates. However, it is important to note that the poll was conducted before Biden’s decision to step aside, making it hypothetical and not reflective of current dynamics in the race between Harris and Trump.
Impressions of Harris among registered voters were somewhat mixed, with 32% having a favorable opinion of her, 53% unfavorable, and 15% undecided. For those without a firm opinion, Harris had a lead over Trump, suggesting that one of her challenges will be to maintain and increase support as voters become more familiar with her. As voters’ views of candidates can change once they are officially running, the current polling data is only a preliminary indication of how Harris might fare against Trump.
Overall, the data suggests that Harris has the potential to improve on Biden’s standing in a matchup against Trump, particularly among key demographics such as women, independents, movable voters, voters of color, and younger voters. The early indications are encouraging for a potential Harris for President campaign, although the dynamics of the race could shift as the campaign progresses and voters become more familiar with the candidates.
