‘President’ Kamala Harris fails to set her fellow Californians alight
Amajority of Californians are unenthusiastic about a potential 2024 presidential run by Kamala Harris, despite the vice president hailing from their state, according to the latest polls.
Ms Harris is being positioned as Joe Biden’s political heir, but has struggled to gain traction among Democrats nationwide amid her poor public approval ratings.
To add to her woes, it appeared that even her native California is underwhelmed by the prospect of her stepping into Mr Biden’s shoes.
A poll by the Berkeley Institute of Government Studies and The Los Angeles Times asked 7,512 registered voters, between Feb 14 and 20, how they would feel about Ms Harris running for president if Mr Biden decided not to seek a second term.
It found that 59 per cent of registered voters were hesitant about their own politician seeking the country’s highest office. Some 18 per cent said they were “not too enthusiastic” about the idea, and a clear plurality of 41 per cent said they were “not enthusiastic at all”.
Just 16 per cent said they would be “very enthusiastic” about Ms Harris at the top of the ticket, while 21 per cent said they would be “somewhat enthusiastic”. Four per cent of those surveyed offered no opinion.
The figures were slightly more encouraging among Democratic voters, with 56 per cent saying they would be enthusiastic about Ms Harris’ candidacy.
However, the fact that about 40 per cent of Democrats in her home state, and the country’s most populous, do not want to see Ms Harris run is extremely worrying for the vice president, who is priming herself to be Mr Biden’s successor.
It came as some Democratic officials have privately expressed concerns that she could prove a liability for the party, citing her struggles as a communicator.
If Mr Biden runs for re-election in 2024 as expected, his 58-year-old running mate will be an integral part of the campaign for an 80-year-old president whose age is seen as a major liability.
Biden remains popular – only just
Ms Harris has remained firm, saying she intends to be the president’s running mate again.
Asked about Democratic concerns behind the scenes, the vice president told NBC News this week that Mr Biden “has said he intends to run for re-election as president and I intend to run with him as vice president of the United States”.
The latest poll did offer some good news for the White House. It found that Mr Biden’s approval rating was improving in California. He now holds a 57 per cent approval and 39 per cent disapproval in the state, his highest marks since summer 2021.
However, a clear majority of 57 per cent of California voters still want Mr Biden step aside in 2024.
