Special Poll
A significant majority of Democrats approve of Vice President Harris replacing President Biden on the ticket if he steps aside, according to a poll released Thursday.
The Economist/YouGov survey found that 79 percent of Democrats would support Harris as the party’s nominee in November if Biden chose to withdraw from the race. This sentiment comes amid increasing calls for Biden to step aside following a poor debate performance against former President Trump last month.
The poll also revealed that 28 percent of Democrats believe Harris is more likely than Biden to win against Trump. Meanwhile, 32 percent think she is equally likely, and 24 percent feel she is less likely to defeat Trump in the fall.
More broadly, 51 percent of Americans think Biden should definitely or probably step aside to allow another Democrat to run, while just under 45 percent believe he should not. Among Democrats who feel Biden should pass the torch, 68 percent cite concerns about his age, health, or cognitive function as the primary reason. About 23 percent are worried about his ability to defeat Trump.
Despite the sentiment that Biden should step aside, few believe he will actually do so. Only 4 percent of Americans think it is very likely he will withdraw, and 15 percent consider it somewhat likely. Approximately 65 percent believe it is not very likely or not at all likely that he will drop out of the race.
The poll, conducted among 1,582 respondents from July 13-16, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.