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.
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.
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.
-
Marisa Silver’s 6 favorite books that capture a lifetimeFeature The author recommends works by John Williams, Ian McEwan, and more
-
Book reviews: ‘We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution’ and ‘Will There Ever Be Another You’Feature The many attempts to amend the U.S. Constitution and Patricia Lockwood’s struggle with long Covid
-
Philadelphia’s Calder GardensFeature A permanent new museum
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to ChicagoSpeed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in OregonSpeed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denialSpeed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartelsspeed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feudSpeed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protestersSpeed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoffSpeed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
