A hit with voters, Indian American brings in a massive $48 million haul.
Kamala Harris’ historic choice as his running mate has given Democrat Joe Biden’s bland presidential campaign a big boost with the Indian African American senator herself proving a hit with voters.
Though progressives are a bit disappointed, those giving a thumbs up to Harris include other key groups the Biden campaign hopes will solidify its lead over incumbent Republican President Donald Trump, according to Politico.
Harris’ selection has also helped Biden campaign raise money at its fastest pace, pulling in $48 million in the 48 hours after she was named, according to the Hill newspaper.
A slim majority of voters, 53 percent, approve of Biden picking the California senator to join the Democratic ticket, according to a Politco/Morning Consult flash poll.
But only 29 percent disapprove of her candidature in the poll conducted on Wednesday, the day after her selection was announced.
Moreover, the pick earns high marks from key constituencies: Democrats (84 percent) overwhelmingly approve of Harris’ selection, as do Black voters (79 percent).
Majorities of voters under age 35 (56 percent), 35-44 (61 percent) and 65 and older (55 percent) approve of Biden’s choice; only among voters aged 45-64 does the pick not earn majority support.
A plurality of independents, 44 percent, approve of Biden’s choice, greater than the 27 percent who disapprove. But more than 1 in 4 independents, 28 percent, have no opinion.
Another poll conducted immediately following Biden’s choice, an ABC News/Ipsos survey released early Thursday, also shows more voters calling the pick “excellent” or “good” (47 percent) than “not so good” or “poor” (29 percent).
In the Politico/Morning Consult flash poll, voters are divided on whether Biden’s choice of a running mate will affect their vote.
Nearly half, 49 percent, say it will have no impact. But a quarter say it will have a major impact, and 2 in 10 say it will have a minor impact.
There is less partisan disparity on that question than on others: 40 percent of Democrats, 63 percent of Republicans and 45 percent of independents say Harris’ selection won’t have an impact on their vote.
Both Biden and Harris appear to have gotten a bounce in personal favorability numbers from the announcement.
Biden’s 51 percent favorable rating is the highest mark for the former vice president recorded in Politico/Morning Consult surveys since he became the presumptive Democratic nominee.
In the flash poll, Harris’ 45 percent favorable rating leads her 37 percent unfavorable rating. In a late July Politico/Morning Consult poll, voters were evenly divided: 33 percent rated her favorably, and 34 percent had an unfavorable opinion of her.
Since he chose Harris as his running mate, Biden’s “favorability has hit its highest point in our tracking since June,” Kyle Dropp, co-founder and chief research officer at Morning Consult was quoted as saying.
“The California senator is well known and viewed in a favorable light by likely voters — including minority voters who are key to the ticket’s hopes of beating President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence this fall,” he said.
Biden’s positions during the presidential primary, which roughly fall within the mainstream of his party, drew skepticism from progressives, who hoped Biden would choose a running mate to his left on the ideological spectrum, according to Politico.
But voters in the flash poll rated Biden and Harris roughly evenly on a 7-point ideology scale: 29 percent rate Biden as a “1,” or “very liberal,” while 30 percent give Harris the same rating.
Meanwhile, the Hill saw Biden campaign’s massive $48 million two-day haul as the latest sign of the campaign’s growing fundraising strength ahead of the Democratic National Convention next week, when Biden will formally accept his party’s presidential nomination.
In the 24 hours after Biden announced Harris’ selection, his campaign raised $26 million, its best single day of grassroots fundraising, the Hill reported citing the campaign.
Even before she was named as Biden’s running mate on Tuesday, Harris has proved a valuable fundraising asset, bringing in more than $5 million for his campaign through fundraisers, it said.
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