Democrats feel their chances of winning have improved after Harris endorsement: Poll

Many Democrats are feeling more optimistic about their chances of winning November’s election after President Biden withdrew from the race and backed Vice President Harris as his replacement, according to a new poll.

The CBS News/YouGov poll found that 83 percent of Democratic registered voters approved of Biden withdrawing from the race while just 17 percent disapproved. It also found that 45 percent of registered Democrat voters said their chances of defeating former President Trump are “better” without Biden in the race. 

The poll also found that 10 percent of Democrats think their chances of defeating Trump are “worse” without Biden. Another 17 percent said the chances were not changed and 28 percent said it depends on the nominee. 

Nearly 80 percent of Democratic voters said the party should nominate Harris as their candidate while 21 percent said they should put forward someone else.

The poll also found that 39 percent of Democrats said they are more motivated to vote with Biden out of the race. Forty-nine percent said it did not change their motivation and 6 percent said it made them less motivated.

Biden announced Sunday that he would be stepping aside and endorsing Harris for the White House. Democrats quickly rallied behind Harris and her campaign, which raised $81 million in the first 24 hours since Biden dropped out. 

Biden’s decision to leave the race came after weeks of Democrats calling on him to do so following a disastrous debate performance last month. While Biden initially doubled down on not withdrawing from the race, he said Sunday that it was in “the best interest of my party and the country” to step away from the ticket.

The poll was conducted among 1,071 registered voters who identify as Democrats interviewed July 21-22. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.