Campaign

Harris says she would ‘proudly’ run with Biden if he seeks reelection

Vice President Harris said in an interview broadcast on Sunday that she would again run on President Biden’s ticket in 2024 if he decides to seek reelection.

“The president has been very clear that he intends to run again,” Harris told host Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“And if he does, I will be running with him proudly,” Harris added.

Biden and his aides have insisted the president plans to run for reelection if his health allows.

But some Democrats have dodged questions about whether they would support another White House bid by Biden, the oldest president in U.S. history, who also faces low approval ratings. 

His approval rating, however, has made gains in recent days following a string of recent legislative victories for Democrats and easing inflation, although it still remains underwater.

Harris also told Todd she was “very proud” to serve as Biden’s vice president.

“We talk about family a lot,” she said. “We talk about our hopes, we talk about our dreams, we talk about the things that concern us, that worry us, the things that keep us excited about everything we are doing.”

“It’s a real friendship. We have a real friendship, and I cherish that,” Harris added.

If Biden decides to run for a second term, his candidacy could lead to a rematch of the 2020 contest against former President Trump.

The former president has remained active in Republican politics since departing the White House, in particular focusing on endorsing candidates in the midterm elections who support his unfounded claims of mass election fraud. 

Trump has said he already made a decision on whether he would mount a third White House bid, but he has not yet made a formal announcement.

A Yahoo-News-YouGov poll released last week found that Biden had a 6-point lead in a hypothetical rematch between the two presidents.

Forty-eight percent of registered voters said they’d vote for Biden, compared to 42 percent who said they’d vote for Trump. 

The poll also found that an increasing percentage of Democrats want Biden to run in 2024, now outpacing those who say he shouldn’t run. The pollster last month found a plurality of Democrats did not want Biden to seek reelection.

A separate USA Today-Ipsos poll last month found that more than half of Democratic voters — 56 percent — indicated they did not want Biden to run for a second term.