A majority of U.S. voters say Democrats could have done better than Vice President Kamala Harris to be the party's presidential nominee, and nearly half say the process by which she replaced President Joe Biden atop the party's national ticket was unfair, Rasmussen Reports found.
Harris will officially accept the Democratic Party's presidential nomination Thursday night at the national convention in Chicago. She will oppose former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, in the general election.
When asked whether Harris is the best possible presidential candidate for the Democratic Party this year, 52% of voters say no, according to a Rasmussen Reports survey.
Only 39% say the vice president is the best possible presidential candidate for Democrats.
Harris became the nominee after several leading Democrats, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., forced Biden to end his reelection bid.
Democrats turned on the 81-year-old president after his disastrous debate performance against Trump on June 27.
Rasmussen Reports found that 48% of voters say the process by which Harris became the Democrats' nominee was unfair, including 37% saying it was very unfair.
In contrast, 47% say the process was fair, including 32% who say it was very fair.
It is not a surprise that among voters who say Harris is the best possible presidential candidate for the Democratic Party this year, 73% say the process by which she became the nominee was very fair.
Among voters saying Harris is not the best candidate Democrats could have picked, 64% say the process was very unfair.
Women voters (41%) just slightly more likely than men (36%) say Harris is the best possible presidential pick for Democrats.
Understandably, Democrats are far more pleased than other voters with Harris, and the process that made her their party's candidate.
A total of 58% of Democrats say the process by which Harris became the Democrats' presidential nominee was very fair — a sentiment agreed upon by only 15% of Republicans and 21% of unaffiliated voters.
Also, 54% of Republicans and 44% of unaffiliated voters say the process was very unfair, as do 14% of Democrats.
Among all voters, 36% of whites, 51% of Blacks, and 41% of Hispanics say Harris is the best possible presidential candidate for the Democratic Party this year. Black voters are most likely to say the process by which Harris became the nominee was fair.
The Rasmussen Reports survey was conducted Aug. 15 and 18-19 among 1,142 likely voters. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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