V.P. Kamala Harris’ Poll Numbers Rise As Democrats See Her As A Major Player In Midterms

Vice President Kamala Harris’ poll numbers have seen an increase in recent weeks and now currently sit higher than President Joe Biden.

Harris got off to a rocky start in the Biden Administration and was criticized for her response to inquiries on why she hadn’t traveled to the Southern border when she said she hadn’t been to Europe either. However, allies say that now Harris has “found her place in the White House.”

A Gallup poll showed Harris currently has a 49% approval rating, six points higher than President Biden’s. Harris’ current approval rating is the same as Biden’s in 2009 when he served as vice president to Barack Obama.

The poll also showed Harris performed better with independents than Biden did. A stunning revelation when considering independents were paramount to Biden getting elected.

Julian Zelizer, a history professor at Princeton University told The Hill Harris has “started to solidify her position and strengthen the office, gaining a sense — always difficult for a VP — of what her role should be in the administration.”

While it’s unclear how or why Harris’ approval rating climbed above Biden’s, It is clear the country’s issues and Republican opposition to the promises he made are piling up.

Talks on police reform have all but ended, Republicans are still criticizing and questioning military officials  on the pullout from Afghanistan, several Republican states have made it harder to vote and even Democrats have called the president out for the treatment of Haitian migrants on the Southern border.

Harris has stayed in the background in many of these controversies, although she did appease some of her supporters when she also criticized the Department of Homeland Security’s treatment of the migrants.

Democrats now believe that Harris could play a pivotal role in the midterm elections through both fundraising and speaking at rallies. The party views Harris as paramount in gaining the attention of women, young voters and African Americans, who Democrats believe will be critical to democrats holding majorities in the Senate.

“She is very popular with the base. She is particularly strong with women and with young people. Turn out for young people is going to be critical for the midterms and it is uncertain,”  Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster, told The Hill. “Between turnout and swing independent women, I would think she would be quite aggressive because of her own appeal and popularity.”

Political analysts also believe Harris can use the midterms to boost her own brand and sell herself to Democrats given questions arising on whether Biden will run for a second term.