Chicago is slowly returning to normal after a frenetic week of police checks, security barriers, traffic jams and demonstrations held in the heat of the Democratic convention that crowned Kamala Harris as the presidential candidate. As the conclave was closing, Gallup, the benchmark polling firm for measuring the popularity of presidents, released a survey according to which the passing of the baton from Joe Biden to Kamala Harris has had a soothing effect on both. Their approval ratings have skyrocketed, in the case of the president, due to his resignation, and in the case of the vice president, due to the nomination.
The survey’s fieldwork is largely done prior to this week’s convention, so the effect of four prime-time political spectacle sessions has not yet been reflected. Even so, it does measure the earthquake that the new scenario has caused in public opinion.
Harris’s favorable rating among Americans has risen 13 percentage points from June to August, to 47%, with 93% of Democrats, 41% of independents and 5% of Republicans having positive views of her. The vice president’s job approval rating is also now 47%, up seven points from the previous reading in December 2023.
The poll was conducted between August 1 and 20 and fully captures the impact of Biden’s July 21 announcement that he was dropping out of the race and Harris’s subsequent nomination as the candidate with the overwhelming support of the entire party, which has completely changed the dynamics of the election campaign.
For its part, Gallup explains, Biden’s job approval rating has risen seven points, to 43%, since July, when it was at the lowest point of his presidency. It is the highest since August 2022, when it was at 44%. Despite the significant improvement, his rating remains below the 48% threshold, which is the lowest recorded at the time of the election for a president who has managed to be reelected.
Biden’s improved approval rating appears to be a form of applause for his decision to drop out of the race. The rating is up eight points to 89% among Democrats and six points to 37% among independents, while Republicans’ rating remains virtually unchanged at 3%.
Knowing what’s happening outside means understanding what’s going to happen inside, so don’t miss anything.
KEEP READING
As for the favorable opinion of the president, it has gone from 37% to 40%, a change that is not too statistically significant. But that practically equals Donald Trump’s 41%. Favorable opinion of the former president has fallen five points since June, despite the initial perception that the July attack and his reaction to it could generate a wave of support.
The reversal in favourable opinions of Harris and Trump is complete. The former president has gone from an 11-point lead to a six-point lead in favour of the vice president. Although Gallup’s work is not an electoral survey, it reinforces what the polls have also been pointing out, which show that the Democrat has surpassed the Republican in voting intention.
Follow all the information on the US elections atour weekly newsletter.
