Poll, voters view Kamala Harris more favorably

2024-09-19 18:59:30, Kosova & Bota CNA

A recent poll shows voters view Vice President Kamala Harris somewhat more favorably than they did in July, when President Joe Biden withdrew from the race.

The poll conducted by the Associated Press news agency and the Center for Public Affairs Research NORC says that the Democratic presidential candidate is now viewed more positively than negatively.

According to the poll, about half of voters have a positive or somewhat favorable view of Ms. Harris and 44 percent view her negatively or somewhat negatively.

Support in favor of former President Donald Trump remains at the same levels (stable) even though the poll was conducted before the assassination attempt on him on the golf course in Florida last Sunday.

6 in 10 voters view Mr. Trump unfavorably or somewhat unfavorably, while 4 in 10 voters view him favorably or somewhat favorably.

Even a small increase in support for Ms. Harris is a positive sign for the Democratic candidate. The increase in support in favor of national figures such as Joe Biden or Donald Trump has been rare in recent years.

The level of support for Mr. Trump did not change over the summer, despite his guilty plea to 34 criminal charges, the assassination in Pennsylvania and facing a new opponent in the election race.

But Mr Trump has overcome similar lows in the past. He won the 2016 election despite not having widespread support and came close to victory in 2020 under similar conditions.

"Everyone needs to talk about the polarization we are experiencing. I don't believe an election is going to solve this," said Sean Luebbers, 55, of California, who supports Ms. Harris.

"I don't believe Ms. Harris is going to solve this. I think that a lot of damage has been done and I have no hope that the votes will be a solution", he adds.

However, there are signs in the poll that Ms Harris's showing is going well. About half of voters say Ms. Harris would make a good president, compared to 36 percent who think the same about Mr. Trump. Voters believe Ms. Harris has the best chance of winning the November election, although a significant number say the candidates have the same chance of winning, or don't have an opinion.

Another sign that could bode well for Ms. Harris is that voters view her at a slightly higher level of favorability than Mr. Trump even though a sizable number of independent voters view both candidates unfavorably.

Among independent voters, 3 in 10 say they don't have enough information to say whether Ms. Harris would make a good president, while 1 in 10 say the same about Mr. Trump.

Despite Mr. Trump's efforts to present Ms. Harris as a weak alternative, voters appear to share a similar view that Mr. Trump and Ms. Harris are strong enough to be president.

"I think his biggest problem was that he was a strong leader and they didn't like him," said Pat Brumfield, 71, of Glenwood, West Virginia, referring to Mr. Trump. "I think we need strong leadership now," said Ms. Brumfeile, who has been a Democrat but says she is disillusioned with the party and will not vote for Ms. Harris.

Meanwhile, a survey by the newspapers "New York Times", "Philadelphia Inquirer" and the college "Siena" shows that at the national level the candidates have the same level of support of 47 percent. In the survey, 2,437 voters were asked between September 11 and 16.

In Pennsylvania, a swing state, Ms. Harris maintained her 4 percent lead, leading with 50 percent support to Mr. Trump's 46 percent./ VOA