Kamala Harris, not Biden, has better chance of winning against Trump: CNN poll
US Vice-President Kamala Harris, an Indian-American politician, has emerged as a stronger contender.
With a better chance of retaining the White House against former President Donald Trump in the November presidential polls compared to her boss, President Joe Biden, according to a recent CNN poll.
This shift in support of Kamala Harris comes after Biden’s poor performance in the first presidential debate in Atlanta on June 27, which has led to growing calls within the Democratic Party for him to step down and let someone else run the race.
According to the CNN poll conducted by Social Science Research Solutions (SSRS), Trump leads Biden by six points.
However, in a hypothetical match-up, Harris is nearly tied with Trump, with 47% of registered voters supporting Trump and 45% backing Harris. This result is within the margin of error, suggesting no clear leader in such a scenario.
“Harris’ slightly stronger showing against Trump rests at least in part on broader support from women (50% of female voters back Harris over Trump vs. 44% for Biden against Trump) and independents (43% Harris vs. 34% Biden),” the CNN poll stated.
In recent days, several other Democrats have been mentioned as potential Biden replacements, and each trails Trump among registered voters, with their levels of support similar to Biden’s, including California Governor Gavin Newsom (48% Trump to 43% Newsom), Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (47% Trump to 43% Buttigieg), and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (47% Trump to 42% Whitmer), according to CNN Poll.
However, Biden’s campaign insists he will stay in the race. While some Democratic insiders have discussed about replacing him, doing so would be both complicated and politically risky.
At the same time, Republican voters have become more confident about their chances of winning with Donald Trump, with 83% now believing the Grand Old Party (GOP) is better off with him, up from 72% in January.
Joe Biden’s approval rating has dropped to a new low of 36%, with 45% strongly disapproving of his performance, the highest disapproval rate in CNN’s polling.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refrained to give a direct comment on the polls, reported PTI.
“I’m constrained to speaking directly to your poll and I get it and I hear the question. I got to be mindful, that is something for the campaign as you started saying, what the campaign has laid out their argument of the case. That is something for them to take up and that is something for them to answer,” she told reporters when asked about it.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama leads Trump by a whopping 11 points in an Ipsos poll—50 per cent to 39 per cent — though her office told NBC News in March she would not be running for president this year, reported PTI.