A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll this month found that 70 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said they would be “satisfied” if Biden withdrew and Harris was the Democratic nominee.
In the same poll, 29 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents named Harris as their choice for the party’s nomination if Biden stepped aside on an open question, while 7 percent named California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). Former First Lady Michelle Obama and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) each have 3 percent. Half of Democrats did not name anyone in particular as a replacement for Biden.
Earlier in July, Economist and YouGov Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents polled Biden’s potential replacements. Harris had the highest net approval rating among Democrats tested.
Other potential candidates, such as Whitmer and Newsom, had similarly low disapproval ratings, but a much larger share of Democrats did not know who they were.
Beyond Biden, several key Democrats have already rallied around Harris. However, he still needs to be elected by the Democratic Party delegates to become the party’s nominee. Read more about the process here.
Scott Clement and Ruben Fischer-Balm contributed to this report.
