Democratic voters have warmed to having Kamala Harris replace Joe Biden as the party's presidential nominee, but they still believe Biden is their best shot at beating Donald Trump, according to a poll.
In recent days, Biden has resisted pressure to step down after rattling Democrats with his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump last month.
A new poll from The Economist/YouGov found that 73% of Democratic voters approve of Harris as the nominee if Biden steps down.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg came far behind Harris with 57%. Notably, both candidates challenged Biden in the 2020 Democratic primary and lost.
Other names often floated as Biden successors fared even worse than Harris. California governor Gavin Newsom (D) received 50%, and Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer (D) received 45%.
The poll reinforces the view among many Democrats that nominating Harris is the least risky and most realistic way of solving the party's Biden problem, as it would allow Democrats to avoid a messy fight at their party convention in August.
However, Democrats seem unable to agree on whether Biden should step aside to begin with. 42% of Democrats say Biden should step aside and 43% say he should not.
Similarly, 42% favor handing the nomination to Harris if Biden quits, but a robust 40% would prefer a short primary to find a different candidate.
Among all Americans, 48% expect Trump to win the election and just 29% think Biden will win. But 59% of Democrats think Biden will beat Trump, and just 48% say the same for Harris.
There may be no way for Democrats to avoid a perception of chaos if they change candidates just months before a presidential election. And there is no guarantee that Harris would be a stronger candidate.
According to the poll, more Americans believe Harris is unqualified to be president (45%) than think she is qualified (41%). Despite Harris' unknowns, a growing number of Democrats seem to think that leaving Biden on the ticket is a riskier proposition.
The pressure on Biden has been especially strong from figures with ties to Barack Obama's universe, including actor George Clooney, who urged Biden to step down in a New York Times editorial Wednesday.
Biden has furiously swiped at liberal "elites" in his party, accusing them of trying to ignore the will of voters after he won the Democratic primary.
