U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris heads into the Democratic National Convention with increasing enthusiasm among Democrats and a steady rise in her approval ratings among Americans overall. About half of American adults — 48 percent — have a very or somewhat favorable opinion of Harris, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That’s up from 39 percent earlier this summer, before President Joe Biden’s poor performance in his debate against former President Donald Trump ultimately led him to drop out of the presidential race.

That’s an improvement not only for Harris, but also from President Joe Biden’s position before he dropped out, when 38 percent said they had a favorable opinion of him. That’s also slightly better than the 41 percent of adults who say they have a favorable opinion of Trump. The rise in Harris’ popularity comes as more Americans overall have formed an opinion of her as the Harris and Trump campaigns rush to define her candidacy. The share who say they don’t know enough about her to form an opinion has halved, from 12 percent in June to 6 percent now.

The latest reading is consistent with how Americans viewed Harris in early 2021, when she and Biden took office. It suggests a renewed positive attitude toward Harris—the share of Americans who have a “very positive” opinion of her has also risen over the same period—but it risks hitting a low point as it approaches its previous high.

Potential strengths for Harris

Since June, Harris’s popularity has increased slightly among some groups that generally favor the Democratic Party. Her popularity has increased slightly among Democrats, independents, women and young adults under 30. There has been no significant movement among blacks or Hispanics – other groups whose support Harris will likely need in November. Half of adults under 30 have a very or somewhat favorable opinion of Harris in the latest poll, up from 34 percent in June. This trend is due to more young adults forming an opinion of her; the share of adults who say they don’t know enough to say anything has fallen from about 2 in 10 to about 1 in 10. The number of young adults with an unfavorable opinion of her has not changed significantly.

Harris enjoys relatively high approval ratings among black adults, although those have remained relatively stable over the past month. About two-thirds of black adults have a very or somewhat favorable opinion of Harris. This includes about 4 in 10 who say their opinion of her is “very favorable.” Black adults are more likely to have a favorable impression of Harris than Americans overall. About 6 in 10 non-white men and women have a favorable opinion of Harris.

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Johnita Johnson, a 45-year-old black woman from North Carolina, said she plans to vote for Harris in November but wants the campaign to be honest and realistic about its promises. She generally has a problem with politicians who overpromise what they can accomplish in office. “If (Harris) could do exactly what she wants to do and what she says she’s going to do, she would do a great job,” Johnson said. “Well, we all know that’s not going to work out that way. She may do some of the things she wanted to do. Will she do everything? I can’t say. And she can’t promise me that.”

Johnson noted that while Harris is a historic candidate because of her race and gender, that is not a factor in her support. “It wouldn’t matter who it was. … As long as they’re good and good to us, that’s what matters to me,” Johnson said. “Yeah, of course it’s exciting for a lot of people because she’s black and the first woman. But I don’t look at that.”

Possible weaknesses for Harris

To win in November, Harris’ team will try to limit Trump’s outpouring of votes among white and male voters – groups that have tended to lean Republican in recent elections. Currently, about half of men have an unfavorable opinion of Harris. About 6 in 10 white men have an unfavorable opinion of her. White men without college degrees, a group that has traditionally formed Trump’s strong support base, are particularly likely to express unfavorable views.

Harris is viewed more positively by white women, particularly those with college degrees. About 6 in 10 white women with college degrees view her favorably, compared to about 4 in 10 without. Overall, white women are split on her, with 49 percent having a favorable opinion and 46 percent having an unfavorable one. Views of Harris have remained fairly stable among older adults. About half of adults over 60 have a favorable opinion of her, generally in line with the 46 percent she had among that group in June.

Brian Mowrer, a recently retired 64-year-old from Mishicot, Wisconsin, who was a staunch Republican until he voted for President Barack Obama in 2012, plans to vote for Harris in November. He likes Biden and felt he could do the job for another term, but he was ultimately glad Biden dropped out of the race when it became clear his electability was declining. “I think it’s great that Biden dropped out and that they went with Kamala Harris,” he said. “Well, I would probably support any Democrat at this point.”

Mowrer wants to make sure Trump doesn’t get the opportunity to nominate more conservative justices to the Supreme Court, as he fears the separation between church and state in the U.S. will continue to erode. He also feels it’s important to elect someone who will defend access to abortion, which he sees as a matter of personal freedom. He believes Harris will focus on both issues. “I think she’s very good. She presents herself very well. I think she’s very authentic,” he said. “The policies, or at least the things she talks about wanting to do, are in line with what I think is necessary.”

The survey of 1,164 adults was conducted August 8-12, 2024. The sample came from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is intended to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

(With contributions from the agency)

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