Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin declined to label Vice President Kamala Harris as President Biden’s optimal running mate for the forthcoming 2024 elections during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper.
Tapper pressed Raskin after former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refrained from endorsing Harris as the top pick for Biden’s running mate. “Not exactly a ringing endorsement. Do you think Vice President Kamala Harris is the best running mate for President Biden, and what do you make of Speaker Pelosi’s answer there?” Tapper questioned.
Raskin refrained from a definitive endorsement but lauded Harris as an “excellent running mate.” He then redirected the discussion, suggesting Tapper himself as a potential VP candidate. Tapper persisted, urging Raskin for a clear answer on whether Harris was the best choice. Raskin stated he hadn’t seen any polling to determine her viability as a running mate.
Pelosi also evaded a direct answer regarding Harris as the ideal running mate, emphasizing that President Biden believed she was the right choice.
These discussions come amid dwindling approval ratings for Vice President Harris. An NBC News poll in June recorded her as having the lowest approval rating for a modern vice president, with only 32 percent of registered voters expressing a positive view of her.
Crushing Polls: Public Doubts About Kamala Harris’ Performance
A recent CBS News/YouGov poll delved into the public’s opinion of Harris, and the results were less than encouraging.
According to the survey, 42 percent of Americans felt that Harris’s performance in her role made them think worse of the Biden administration, while only 18 percent believed it had a positive effect.
The breakdown along party lines was stark, with 76 percent of Republicans expressing a negative view of Harris’s impact, compared to just 41 percent of Democrats who viewed her positively.
Independents, too, leaned toward a negative perception, with 48 percent believing she had a detrimental effect compared to 9 percent who saw her positively.
Diminished Democrat Enthusiasm
Furthermore, the poll revealed that only 30 percent of Democrats expressed enthusiasm about Harris as Biden’s running mate.
While a majority of Democrats were “satisfied” with her on the ticket, the number of enthusiastic Kamala Harris supporters had dwindled significantly from the time Biden initially selected her in 2020, dropping from 58 percent to the current 30 percent.
While the focus has often been on the potential scenario where Harris would ascend to the presidency, assuming Biden seeks reelection, the more immediate concern is how voters’ perceptions of Harris might impact the Democratic ticket. Republicans and conservative media have frequently raised the possibility of Harris replacing the nation’s first 80-year-old president.
Former 2024 GOP candidate Nikki Haley has routinely voiced her concerns, stating earlier this week, “We will be in a world of hurt if Kamala Harris becomes president.”
In response, Harris dismissed such concerns as Republican fear, asserting that their attacks stem from their anxiety over the accomplishments of the Biden administration.
The current 32 percent who believe Harris is ready to assume the presidency represents a significant drop from August 2020 when 44 percent expressed confidence in both Harris and then-Vice President Mike Pence.
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
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