The Democratic National Committee has conducted focus groups on Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a new CNN report, to understand why voters don’t like her.
Some voters in the focus groups said they didn’t like Harris, specifically citing her laugh to criticize. Others questioned whether Biden likes him.
Harris’ approval rating continues to hover in the 30s, polls show, a record low for the modern vice presidency, as she spent her first three years in office battling bad headlines.
US Vice President Kamala Harris waves while attending a speaking event in Las Vegas.
US Vice President Kamala Harris arrives at the Muñiz Air National Guard Base in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
But some Democratic voters said Harris was better than Biden at talking about abortion, guns, student loans and the Israeli war in Gaza.
Biden’s advisers continue to show frustration with Harris as she tries to address key issues during the presidential campaign.
The White House “became furious” with Harris and her team, the report notes, after she tried to emphasize her position on “an immediate ceasefire” in Gaza to the media, even though her position was no different. to Biden’s.
The report also notes that Biden’s advisers were “upset” by the idea that they should lean more on Harris on some issues and were dissatisfied with reports that Harris held private meetings with top Democrats to discuss the presidential campaign.
Harris, however, has found new energy by focusing on abortion rights, which Democrats believe is a key advantage as she struggles to work on her political comeback.
The vice president is trying to resell her image as a prosecutor, which she used for her own failed presidential campaign, and told CNN that she finds the prospect of prosecuting Trump over abortion rights “liberating.”
United States Vice President Kamala Harris takes the stage at a campaign event
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) praised Harris for her work on abortion rights
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez praised Harris’ advocacy for abortion rights, identifying it as a strength for the campaign.
“There is a certain level of authority that comes with having a uterus and being a woman,” the New York Democrat said in the article.
Democrats, unwilling or unable to remove Harris from the presidential nomination, are trying to rehabilitate her image ahead of the 2024 elections.
Harris’ aides believe the solution to fixing Harris is to “expose” her and “get her out more,” the report states.
Harris herself told CNN that she was ready to accept any of former President Donald Trump’s options as a running mate.
“I’m ready,” she said. ‘For those who have, fill in the blank, so they can do it.’