The vice president is worse than the president.
In a presidential contest featuring two historically unpopular contenders, Vice President Kamala Harris finds herself facing even lower approval ratings than both of the primary candidates.
According to a recent poll conducted by USA TODAY and Suffolk University, Vice President Harris is struggling to gain favor with voters as the general election approaches. The survey data indicates that approximately 52% of registered voters disapprove of her performance in the role of vice president. In contrast, only 36% of respondents express approval for her handling of the office. Notably, 10% of those polled remain undecided regarding their assessment of her performance.
Harris’s inability to cultivate a strong base of voter support echoes the challenges faced by her running mate, President Biden. In the same poll, Biden received a similarly lackluster approval rating of 41%.
Meanwhile, former President Trump emerged as the only candidate of the three to achieve a net approval rating, with 49% of respondents expressing approval and 47% expressing disapproval of his performance. Only 3% of those surveyed remained undecided about their evaluation of Trump’s presidency.
David Paleologos, Director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, remarked on the unusual prominence of discussions surrounding vice presidents in this election cycle. He noted that typically, discussions about vice presidents are secondary and subdued, but in this case, they are nearly as prominent and contentious as those about the presidential candidates themselves.
Both Biden and Trump have amassed enough delegates in their respective party primaries to be considered presumptive nominees. Trump is anticipated to receive the official nomination from the Republican Party in July, while Biden is expected to secure the Democratic nomination in August.
The USA TODAY/Suffolk poll, conducted from March 8th to March 11th, surveyed 1,000 registered voters and has a margin of error of +/-3.1%.
