New poll shows how much voters know about the candidates on Harris’ list for vice president.
Vice President Kamala Harris is considering potential running mates for her upcoming reelection campaign, but a new poll has shown that these candidates remain relatively unknown to the public.
The AP-NORC survey asked Americans about their opinions of three potential running mates for Harris: Sen. Mark Kelly from Arizona, Gov. Josh Shapiro from Pennsylvania, and Gov. Andy Beshear from Kentucky.
Among the surveyed Democratic respondents, Senator Mark Kelly emerged as the frontrunner in terms of favorability. Approximately 45% of Democratic respondents viewed Kelly favorably, indicating a strong level of support for the senator.
However, despite Kelly’s positive reception, a significant proportion of Democratic respondents still admitted to not knowing him well enough to form a solid opinion. About 40% of Democratic respondents expressed a lack of familiarity with Senator Kelly.
In comparison, Governor Josh Shapiro from Pennsylvania garnered a favorable opinion from around 25% of Democratic respondents, while 16% held a negative view of him. Despite these mixed opinions, Shapiro remains largely unknown to the majority of respondents. Approximately 60% of those surveyed reported that they lacked enough information to form an opinion on Shapiro, with 57% of Democrats acknowledging their unfamiliarity with the Pennsylvania governor.
Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky faced a similar situation, with 74% of adults indicating that they did not have sufficient knowledge to formulate a favorable or unfavorable opinion about him.
Recent reports from Politico revealed that Harris’ vetting team engaged in private meetings with both Shapiro and Kelly. However, Vice President Harris has yet to formally announce her running mate for the upcoming campaign.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Harris’ choice for a running mate, the vice president is set to hold her first campaign event with the selected candidate in Philadelphia. The official announcement of her running mate is expected to precede this event, generating buzz and anticipation among political observers and the public alike.
The poll, conducted from July 25 to 29, carried a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points, underscoring the significance and reliability of the survey results.
