Is Kamala Harris Really The Most Unpopular Vice President In U.S. History? – Vice President Kamala Harris has struggled to remain popular among the American public in her first foray into the national spotlight.
Consistently, Harris has been viewed far more unfavorably than favorably from one poll to another.
Her low figures have not been seen at this stage in a vice presidency since Dan Quayle under George Bush in 1991.
As of August 29, around 54% of registered voters held an unfavorable view on the Vice President, while only 40% claimed the contrary.
It’s a trend that has continued since June 2021, following widespread criticism over her handling of immigration at the southern border.
Republicans Throwing Stones In Glass Houses
Despite her shaky start, Kamala Harris is not the most unpopular vice president in U.S. history yet.
It’s a somewhat dubious claim anyway, given that pollsters did not exist in the early days of the Union, so a definitive, non-subjective answer is impossible.
Nevertheless, modern history provides the answers to dispute Republican claims.
As mentioned, former vice president Quayle was more unfavorable at this point in the electoral cycle. Quayle, ironically, was often ridiculed for his gaffes when speaking in public – a regular focus of attack among high-profile Republicans.
Moreover, towards the end of Dick Cheney’s second term as VP, Americans viewed him unfavorably by a margin of two to one, predominantly due to his involvement in the then-increasingly unpopular Iraq War.
For sure, favorability is harder to maintain when the tenure in office reaches six years compared to two-and-a-half, but Harris, quite simply, is not the most unpopular vice president the nation has ever had.
Presidents Set The Trends
Historical polling data shows that a president’s favorability is often linked with their subordinates.
Both presidents in the Bush family, much like their vice presidents, saw their numbers plummet in the twilight years of their respective tenures.
On the contrary, Al Gore’s favorability reached as high as 59% in 1999, with Bill Clinton leaving office with an approval rating of 65% – the highest for a departing president since Harry Truman.
There’s also the partisan nature of U.S. politics, which plays a role in polling data.
Vice presidents are less well-known than their superiors, with their often-reserved roles limiting their appearances in the public eye.
Barring extreme instances, Democrats and Republicans usually stick within their own party; after all, if you know your poll response will be part of a publicly released survey, it’s best to support your party’s vice president even if you do not know them, rather than lend your party’s opponents an easy political target.
That said, given concerns over Joe Biden’s age and Kamala Harris’ incumbency of the presidency if he is unable to carry out his presidential duties, the latter may see herself in the spotlight more often than her predecessors.
Shay Bottomley is a British journalist based in Canada. He has written for the Western Standard, Maidenhead Advertiser, Slough Express, Windsor Express, Berkshire Live and Southend Echo, and has covered notable events including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
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