As President Joe Biden faces mounting pressure to abandon his re-election bid, a majority of Democrats believe his running mate would make a good president.
A new poll conducted by the Up-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed that about 6 in 10 Democrats believe Kamala Harris will do a good job as president, and about 2 in 10 Democrats do not believe she will do so, and 2 in 10 say They don't know enough to say.
Since Biden's loss in the debate on June 27, many Democrats have been privately and even publicly looking to Harris to step in and succeed Biden as the party's presidential nominee, believing she has a better chance against GOP nominee Donald Trump.
For her part, Harris has remained completely loyal to Biden, being one of his staunchest defenders in the wake of the disastrous debate performance.
Oakley Graham, a Democrat from Greenwood, Missouri, said that although he was "very pleased" with Biden's accomplishments in office, he felt he would be more enthusiastic about supporting Harris at the top of the ticket, and that "it's time" for a woman to serve as president.
Graham, 30, says of Biden: “I know he has unfinished business... but it would be nice to see a person of color, a woman, or a younger person step up and lead this charge. I hope that inspires a younger generation to be more engaged.” ".
Black adults, a key unit of the Democratic coalition and the group that remains relatively more favorable to Biden than others, are more likely than Americans overall to say Harris will do well.
The Washington Post reported Thursday that former US President Barack Obama told those close to him that Joe Biden should reconsider his candidacy for a second presidential term.
Citing people familiar with the former Democratic president's position, the newspaper reported that Obama believes that Biden's chances of winning have diminished and that his 81-year-old former vice president must "seriously reconsider the possibility of continuing his candidacy."
The newspaper noted that Obama did not immediately issue any comment.
Obama, who still has great influence in the Democratic Party, assumed the US presidency from 2009 until 2017, and throughout his two terms, Biden assumed the position of Vice President.
If the information is confirmed, Obama will be the most prominent Democratic figure so far to call on Biden to withdraw his candidacy against the backdrop of a television debate in which he performed disastrously against Republican candidate Donald Trump.
Biden, whose infection with Covid was announced by the White House during his trip to Las Vegas as part of his election campaign on Wednesday, has moved to his residence in Delaware, where he will need to isolate himself, but he “continues to fully perform his duties during this period.”
Biden rejects the concerns raised about his age and physical fitness, and insists on moving forward in the presidential race.
However, pressure is increasing on the president, whom the leaders of the Democratic majority in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, and the Democratic minority in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, reportedly met with recently and expressed “concerns” that his candidacy would undermine the party’s chances in the November elections.
On Friday, the New York Times quoted several people close to Biden as saying that they believe he has begun to accept that he may lose in November to his Republican rival, Donald Trump, and may be forced to withdraw, and it quoted one of them as saying that it would not be surprising if Biden soon supports Vice President Kamala. Harris to replace him as the Democratic nominee.
As for Nancy Pelosi, the highly influential former Speaker of the House of Representatives, she told colleagues, according to the Washington Post, that she believes that Biden may quickly be convinced to withdraw from the race.
In this context, NBC News quoted a source it said was close to President Biden, saying, “We are approaching the end.”
On the other hand, the Democratic President’s campaign team is trying to close the door to speculation. Quentin Fowlkes, an official in the team, confirmed to the press that Biden “is still in the race,” and stressed that “our team does not envision any scenario in which President Biden is not at the top of the list, as he Democratic candidate.
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