Poll Reveals Kamala Harris Outpaces Biden in Public Perception as Trump Campaign Dismisses Support Surge

A recent poll reveals that a majority of respondents, 56 percent, view Vice President Kamala Harris, 59, as “mentally sharp and able to deal with challenges,” whereas 37 percent disagree with this assessment. In comparison, only 22 percent of voters consider President Joe Biden, who is 81, to have similar attributes. The poll, which carries a 3 percent margin of error, underscores a notable disparity in public perception between the two prominent figures.

On Sunday, Biden announced the end of his reelection campaign, citing concerns over his age and health as significant factors influencing his decision. He has endorsed Kamala Harris as his successor. Biden had faced mounting pressure from both Republicans and members of his own party, particularly following a poorly received performance in the first presidential debate last month. During this debate, Biden struggled with stammering and failed to effectively counter former President Donald Trump’s attacks, which included numerous false claims.

Trump and his MAGA allies had previously been vocal in criticizing Biden’s age, frequently deriding him as “Sleepy Joe” and questioning his cognitive abilities. They insinuated that he “can’t put two sentences together and he’s in charge of nuclear warfare.”

In response to Biden’s announcement, House Speaker Mike Johnson immediately criticized the Democrats’ move. Johnson suggested that the GOP would challenge the legality of the party’s switch to Kamala Harris as the nominee. “I think they’ve got legal hurdles in some of these states,” Johnson told CNN on Sunday. “And it’ll be litigated, I would expect, on the ground there.”

Despite these challenges, Harris has quickly mobilized her campaign, raising over $100 million from Sunday afternoon to Monday evening. According to a survey by The Associated Press, she has also secured enough delegate support to secure the Democratic nomination for the 2024 presidential election.

In a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll, Harris holds a slim 2-percentage-point lead over Trump, with 44 percent of respondents supporting her against the Republican candidate, who garnered 42 percent. When voters were presented with a hypothetical ballot that included independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Harris led Trump by 42 percent to 38 percent, an advantage that falls outside the margin of error.

Kennedy, who is favored by 8 percent of voters in the poll, has yet to qualify for the ballot in several states ahead of the November 5 election.

Polls conducted on July 15 to 16 showed Harris and Trump tied at 44 percent, while a July 1 to 2 poll had Trump leading by a single percentage point. Both surveys had a margin of error of 3 percent.

Trump’s campaign has dismissed any rise in Harris’ support as temporary, attributing it to the media coverage surrounding her new candidacy. “That bump is likely to start showing itself over the next few days and will last for a while,” said Tony Fabrizio, a pollster with Trump’s campaign, in a memo circulated to reporters, according to Reuters.

A Morning Consult poll conducted after Biden’s exit from the race shows Trump with a two-point lead over Harris, receiving 47 percent support compared to Harris’s 45 percent. However, this poll also indicates a narrowing gap between Trump and the Democrats. Previously, a survey by Morning Consult conducted between July 15 and 17 showed Trump leading Biden by four points, with Trump at 46 percent and Biden at 42 percent. The more recent poll, which surveyed 4,001 registered voters, has an unweighted margin of error of +/- 2 points.