Former President Donald Trump has a double-digit lead against newly minted Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Breitbart reported. Harris took over as the presumptive nominee after President Joe Biden stepped down from the race Sunday, thanks in part to pressure from former President Barack Obama.
Biden responded to calls from his own party to get out of the presidential race. After several assurances that he would stay, Biden abruptly announced via X, formerly Twitter, that he was dropping out Sunday.
Now, a Harris X/Forbes poll conducted before the announcement shows that 52% of likely voters choose Trump compared to 42% for Harris. When adjusted using the "leaning" question of the 6% who were undecided, the advantage still went to Trump with 54% to Harris' 46%.
🇺🇲 2024 GE: Among 2,169 likely voters by @Harris_X_ for @Forbes
🟥 Trump: 52%
🟦 Harris: 42%
⬜ Undecided: 6%With leans
🟥 Trump: 54%
🟦 Harris: 46%
—
#161 (1.6/3.0) | July 19-21 | 2,169 LVhttps://t.co/aftIVaQhd4 https://t.co/gK9W0GpOYK pic.twitter.com/eQG2zGoD5P— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) July 22, 2024
According to Politico, Obama had a role in getting Biden to step down from the race. In the aftermath, he has refrained from endorsing Harris while others in the party decided to do just that.
It's clear that Obama saw that Biden's campaign was faltering, and he, along with other prominent Democrats, leaned on Biden to give up his reelection bid. Harris became the logical choice, but Obama did not publicly support Harris immediately.
"We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead. But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges," Obama said in a statement Sunday, Fox News reported.
"I believe that Joe Biden’s vision of a generous, prosperous, and united America that provides opportunity for everyone will be on full display at the Democratic Convention in August. And I expect that every single one of us are prepared to carry that message of hope and progress forward into November and beyond," Obama added.
Meanwhile, Harris has received the backing of the Clintons, Biden, and other Democrats. After having such an active role in convincing Biden to leave, Obama likely didn't want to seem as if he staged a coup and handpicked his replacement.
Even if Harris is not the most popular choice to replace Biden in the presidential election, she's the most logical at this late stage. According to The Hill, the Democratic convention is less than four weeks away, limiting the time for vetting and choosing a candidate.
Harris has name recognition and the infrastructure already in place to run a campaign since she was part of Biden's reelection bid. Rather than building from scratch, Harris can pick up where Biden left off.
Furthermore, as USA Today pointed out, endorsing Harris as his successor means that the money raised for the Biden/Harris ticket can seamlessly become a Harris war chest. The Biden campaign added another $127 million to its coffers in June, which Harris would then take over.
"If Harris remains on the ticket, as either the presidential or vice presidential candidate, the new ticket would maintain access to all the funds," campaign attorney Saurav Ghosh, who is affiliated with the Campaign Legal Center, explained. Fundraising wouldn't be so easy for a newcomer.
As her track record demonstrates, Harris is nobody's first choice for anything. However, the unprecedented situation Democrats face seems to justify choosing her even with such profound unpopularity.
