Majority of voters not keen on Indian-origin Harris as president: Poll

New York, March 2

Even though US President Joe Biden has accidentally referred to Kamala Harris as President at least six times, a majority of voters are unenthusiastic about his Vice President's potential presidential run in 2024, according to the latest poll.

According to The Telegraph, Biden's Indian-origin second-in-command has struggled to gain traction among Democrats nationwide amid her poor public approval ratings.

But what shocks more is that the majority of these voters are from California -- a Democrat bastion and Harris' home state.

Between February 14 and 20, a poll conducted by the Berkeley Institute of Government Studies and The Los Angeles Times asked 7,512 registered voters about Harris running for President if Biden decided not to seek a second term.

It found that 59 percent of registered voters were hesitant about Harris seeking the country's highest office.

Some 18 percent said they were "not too enthusiastic" about the idea, and a clear plurality of 41 percent said they were "not enthusiastic at all".

Only 16 percent said they would be "very enthusiastic" about Harris taking on the role, while 21 percent said they would be "somewhat enthusiastic". Four percent of those surveyed gave no opinion.

Bringing some cheer to Harris, 56 percent of Democrat voters said they would be keen on Harris' candidacy.

But what was an immediate dampener was that about 40 percent of Democrats in her home state did not want to see her run in 2024.

A few Democrats have privately expressed concerns that Harris could prove a liability for the party, citing her struggles as a communicator, The Telegraph report stated.

They also think that Biden, 80, is too old to run for a second term by the end of which he would be 86.

Biden has not formally declared a run but speaking to NBC News at the Munich Security Conference last month, Harris said the US President "has said he intends to run for re-election and I intend to run with him as Vice President".

The latest poll also found Biden's approval rating improving in California, with him holding a 57 percent yes and a 39 percent no in the state.

--IANS