Harris poll numbers rise as Biden fall

Vice President Harris has bounced back in recent weeks, regaining a foothold with approval ratings that are now above President BidenJoe Biden’s Vaccination Rise Includes Biggest Republican Gain Since April: Gallup Power Grab? The Federal Reserve may soon be our only Ford bank asking salaried workers for PLUS vaccine status‘s.

Harris had a rough start early in the administration, including a sloppy response to why she hadn’t made it to the Mexican border, when she said she didn’t go either. in Europe.

But her allies say Harris, whose difficult start raised questions about her ability to be a future presidential candidate for the party, “has found her place” in the White House.

“I think there is definitely a feeling that things have gone easier,” said an ally. “It looks like they’ve smoothed out some of the original wrinkles.”

Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University, said Harris had “started to consolidate his position and strengthen the office, gaining an idea – always difficult for a vice president – to what its role in the administration should be “.

“The key will be how these numbers hold up as political controversies continue and politics escalate,” he added.

A Gallup poll last week showed 49% of them approved of Harris’ vice president position, 6 points higher than Biden’s 43% approval rating. It’s a big change for Biden and Harris. The president has lost 6 points since August and 13 points since June. Harris’ current approval rating is the same as Biden’s in 2009, when he was Barack obamaBarack Hussein Obama Award CreatorMark Twain on the Value of Humor in Politics Lobbying World It’s Time to Pass Reforms to Tackle Executive Abuse MOREvice-president of.

The Sept. 22 Gallup poll – conducted earlier this month – also found that the vice president outperformed Biden with independents, a startling revelation for a man who was catapulted into the White House because of the backing. of this population.

It’s unclear why Harris’ numbers have risen more than Biden’s in some surveys, although Biden over the past two months has been through the most difficult phase of his presidency so far. Biden has received bipartisan criticism related to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and has also been affected by the protracted coronavirus pandemic.

The president has also been criticized for his handling of the border and immigration, taking blows left and right in the face of an influx of migrants from Haiti in recent weeks.

Harris, on the other hand, has been more in the background than in the foreground on these controversies, although she made headlines for criticizing the way some Haitian migrants were treated by border officials.

Most Democratic strategists and watchers say Harris hasn’t had a single moment or two that propelled her into the public domain.

“Nothing specific,” said Basil Smikle, the Democratic strategist and former executive director of the New York State Democratic Party, when asked if there had been a defining moment for the vice president.

He suggested the White House might actually benefit by doing more with Harris.

Smikle said that while Harris has been approachable, for example by showing up at Howard University back to school, “the White House could bring her closer – as other administrations have done – but they seem the hold off, which may have been helpful to her in the long run.

Other strategists say Harris took advantage of Republicans setting their sights on Biden in recent weeks. They portrayed him as weak at the border and in Afghanistan.

“My instinct is to say that so many shots were directed at Biden, Harris’ numbers increased just because they were out of the spotlight,” Democratic strategist Christy Setzer added. “She’s not giving anyone new reasons not to like her, so her poll numbers are averaging, with the country roughly evenly split on the black woman in second place.”

But Harris appeared to settle into a more prominent role in his vice presidency. Last week, it hosted separately the leaders of Zambia, Ghana and India. On Wednesday, she hosted a meeting with five leaders of Latin American small businesses. Harris has also been increasingly active politically, delivering a forceful speech for the Governor of California. Gavin NewsomGavin NewsomCaitlyn Jenner says she would stand again, calls on GOP to be ‘more inclusive’ California rule change means Padilla faces additional election Democrats see Harris as major midterm player MORE (D), fundraising for Virginia Democratic candidate for governor Terry McAuliffe and attending an event at George Mason University for National Voter Registration Day.

Admittedly, the Harris poll numbers are not spectacular. The same Gallup poll that showed her with a 49% approval rating showed that she had a 49% disapproval rating. Other polls last month also show her with support in her 40s or mid-40s, although some August polls put her in the 30-30 age range.

Things didn’t go as planned for Harris either. Helpers and allies became frustrated last week after she was scheduled for a studio interview on “The View,” but two of the hosts were taken off set after testing positive for COVID-19.

Harris conducted the interview virtually as a precaution, even though she had flown from Washington to New York for the program. The hosts were then tested negative and the tests were found to be false positive.

Harris’ ally called the incident “unfortunate” while saying Harris must continue to raise his national stature for his own political prospects.

“I think we’re all happy to see her settle into her role and find her bearings, but I think even she knows she has a long way to go,” the ally said.

Morgan Chalfant contributed.