U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris affirmed on Tuesday that she is “proud” to be running for re-election on President Joe Biden’s ticket. This statement comes amid ongoing debates about the Democratic president’s health following his disastrous performance in a debate against his Republican rival, Donald Trump, last week.
Harris expressed her pride in being Joe Biden’s running mate but evaded a direct response when asked if she was prepared to lead the country if necessary.
Addressing the rising calls for Biden, 81, to withdraw from the presidential race and for Harris, 59, to replace him, the Vice President told CBS News, “Joe Biden is our candidate. We defeated Trump once, and we will defeat him again.”
Prominent figures within the Democratic camp have started to publicly question Biden’s health following his poor debate performance against Trump on Thursday evening.
A poll released by CNN on Tuesday revealed that 75 percent of surveyed voters believe the party would have better chances in November with a different candidate than Biden, a result that has heightened Democratic concerns.
The poll showed Trump receiving 49 percent of the national vote intentions compared to Biden’s 43 percent, a gap unchanged from a similar survey conducted in April.
In a head-to-head match-up, Vice President Kamala Harris would fare better, garnering 45 percent of the vote compared to 47 percent for the former Republican president.
The questions surrounding Biden’s health and the implications for the Democratic ticket have added a new layer of complexity to the upcoming election, with Harris at the center of discussions about the party’s future leadership.