Joe Biden's Kamala Harris VP pick is an early hit, poll suggests

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Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) is an early success as presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden's running mate, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds. Indian Americans are thrilled to have someone of Indian descent on a major party ticket, Black women are similarly excited, and even progressive groups and activists who were hoping Biden would pick someone more to the left expressed support for Harris on the ticket.

They aren't alone. Nearly 90 percent of Democrats approve of Harris as Biden's running mate, and she is more popular than Biden among younger voters, women, and Republicans, Reuters found in its poll, conducted Tuesday and Wednesday. Sixty percent of Americans, including 37 percent of Republicans and 87 percent of Democrats, agreed that choosing Harris for a major party ticket is a "major milestone" for the U.S. She is viewed favorably by 56 percent of Americans overall — about the same as Biden — including 60 percent of women, 62 percent of U.S. adults under 35, and 25 percent of Republicans.

President Trump's favorability rating lags at 42 percent in the Reuters/Ipsos poll, and Vice President Mike Pence sits a little higher, at 47 percent.

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The popularity of the Harris pick did not translate into much of an electoral boost for Biden, though. He gained 1 percentage point over Trump since the previous Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted Monday and Tuesday. The Biden-Harris ticket now has an 8 point lead over Trump-Pence, 46 percent to 38 percent, according to the new poll, conducted online in English with 1,000 adults participating. The poll's credibility interval is about 3 percentage points.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.