Warren and Harris get a big electability bump after 1st debate

New polling suggests Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) were the clear winners of the first round of Democratic debates — and former Vice President Joe Biden no longer holds a huge lead on electability.
A HuffPost/YouGov poll released on Monday shows that 51 percent of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters now say Warren could win in a general election, while 49 percent say the same of Harris. Both candidates have improved their electability quite a bit compared to a poll conducted in May, with Warren jumping 11 percentage points and Harris jumping 10 percentage points.
Biden, meanwhile, has taken a hit on this issue. In the poll, 57 percent of voters said Biden can win in a general election, down from 70 percent from in May. Previously, Biden led Harris and Warren by about 30 percentage points on the issue of electability. Now, his lead is down to less than 10 percentage points, although HuffPost notes that since the earlier number was from May, the change could be due to a variety of factors including last week's debates.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Democrats picked Warren and Harris as the winners of night one and night two of the debates, respectively, and it wasn't even close: 59 percent of voters said Warren won the first night compared to 16 percent who said former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, while 59 percent also said Harris won the second night, compared to 16 percent for Biden.
Additionally, 58 percent of voters surveyed said their opinion of Warren improved following the first debate, while 58 percent said the same of Harris. In contrast, 35 percent said that their opinion of Biden worsened after the debate, compared to 24 percent who said it improved.
Harris' national press secretary, Ian Sams, celebrated this poll on Monday, calling the data point on electability "a BFD."
HuffPost/YouGov's poll was conducted by speaking with 1,000 U.S. adults from June 27-28 and Jun 28-29. A standard margin of error was not reported. See the full results at HuffPost.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Gene Hackman: the death of a Hollywood legend
The French Connection actor had an extraordinary gift for making characters believable
By The Week UK Published
-
5 confrontational cartoons about Zelenskyy at the White House
Cartoons Artists take on diplomatic fashion, card games, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Sudoku medium: March 8, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Trump eases Mexico, Canada tariffs again as markets slide
speed read The president suspended some of the 25% tariffs he imposed on Mexican and Canadian imports
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump tells Cabinet they are in charge of layoffs, not Musk
Speed Read The White House has faced mounting complaints about DOGE's sweeping cuts
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Rep. Sylvester Turner dies, weeks after joining House
Speed Read The former Houston mayor and longtime state legislator left behind a final message for Trump: 'Don't mess with Medicaid'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump pauses Ukraine intelligence sharing
Speed Read The decision is intended to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into peace negotiations with Vladimir Putin
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court rules against Trump on aid freeze
Speed Read The court rejected the president's request to freeze nearly $2 billion in payments for foreign humanitarian work
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump touts early wins in partisan speech to Congress
Speed Read The president said he is 'just getting started' with his sweeping changes to immigration, the economy and foreign policy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trudeau blasts Trump's 'very dumb' trade war
Speed Read Retaliatory measures have been announced by America's largest trading partners following Trump's tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump pauses military aid to Ukraine after public spat
Speed Read Trump and J.D. Vance berated Volodymyr Zelenskyy for what they saw as insufficient gratitude
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published