Clinton-Harris Could Outperform Biden-Harris in Race Against Donald Trump: New Poll

According to a recent poll by a prominent Democrat pollster, President Joe Biden is still in the race against Donald Trump, but he is in much more danger of losing the election now that other prominent Democrats are making rapid gains, at least in the school of public opinion. Biden trails Trump by a hair, with 42% to 43% support, according to the Democratic company Bendixen & Amandi's survey.

With a margin of 42% to 41%, Kamala Harris has surpassed Trump, while Hillary Clinton continues to surge ahead of the former president with a margin of 43% to 41%. Clinton has not been seriously considered as a potential replacement for Biden, and Harris is among the leading candidates in that regard.

The poll, which was first published by Politico, also stated of the 86% of eligible voters who tuned in to at least some of the debate, 61% expressed doubt that Biden can complete another four years in office, while 29% expressed confidence in his ability to do so. While 52% think Biden shouldn't remain the Democratic candidate, only 33% think he should. 

The survey also looked at other possible Democratic combinations, and the one with Clinton and Harris as her running mate had the best chance of winning. Clinton-Harris has a four-point lead over Biden-Harris, with 43% of the vote compared to 40% for Trump. The GOP frontrunner, who carries a heavy burden of political and legal issues, has seemingly failed to capitalize on people's fears about Biden's age and competence to govern. 

Despite Clinton's widespread dismissal as a credible presidential candidate after her 2016 defeat to Trump, the poll suggests that respondents could still be receptive to her making a comeback to the national arena. In addition to formally endorsing Biden, Clinton has said that she has no intention of running for president again. Both Biden (81 years old) and Trump (78 years old) are older than her at 76. The pollster responsible for the study, Fernand Amandi, who is headquartered in Miami, in fact told Politico, "I’m really surprised by Hillary’s strength. While some dismiss her as yesterday’s news and a candidate of the past, voters at least in this poll suggest they may be open to a Clinton comeback and that a ticket with Clinton as president and Harris as vice president is even ‘stronger together’".

Additionally, in a hypothetical contest with Trump, Harris did marginally better than Biden, and a recent CNN survey found that most Americans think Democrats would do better without Biden. With her experience as vice president, Harris provides continuity with the current administration and, as a result, would have an easier time accessing the funds raised for the Biden-Harris campaign. Her support from party leaders is strong and growing, and she is already recognized as the administration's leader on issues like reproductive freedom for women, which are likely to be deciding factors in the campaign.