Newsweek, August 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris’ approval rating has improved significantly since June, jumping 13 percentage points in a new poll. Since President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race in July and endorsed Harris for the presidency, she has enjoyed a substantial rise in popularity in a number of polls. A Gallup poll published on Thursday showed the vice president’s favorable rating has increased by 13 percentage points over the past two months. In June, 34 percent of U.S. adults had a favorable opinion of Harris, compared to 47 percent in August. This is the second-best approval rating Harris has had with Gallup, which has measured her favorability since 2019. The only time vice president had a higher approval rating was in January 2021, when her favorability was at 53 percent shortly after she and Biden took office, the pollster reported.
Among Democrats, 93 percent now have a favorable view of Harris, Gallup found—which is up 16 percentage points from the 77 percent that liked her in June. With independents, her approval rating has gone from 28 percent to 41 percent. Among Republicans, it has remained the same: 5 percent. Harris has also seen the approval rating of how she has handled her job as vice president improve. In December, it was 40 percent among U.S. adults, compared to 47 percent in August. With Democrats, it has gone from 79 percent to 93 percent. It has likewise increased among independents, going from 36 percent to 43 percent. However, it has declined among Republicans, going from 6 percent to 4 percent.