"Double haters" who loathed Trump and Biden actually seem to like Kamala Harris, poll suggests

Voters who disliked Biden or Trump have a more favorable view of Harris

By Marin Scotten

News Fellow

Published August 14, 2024 4:04PM (EDT)

Vice President Kamala Harris at Presidential Rally at University of Nevada, Las Vegas Campus, featuring Gov. Tim Walz and 12,000 supporters. (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Vice President Kamala Harris at Presidential Rally at University of Nevada, Las Vegas Campus, featuring Gov. Tim Walz and 12,000 supporters. (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Democratic nominee Kamala Harris has become more popular among voters who previously weren’t a fan of President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump, a new Monmouth University poll shows. 

This group of voters, known as “double haters,” has been cut in half since Harris took over from Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate. When Biden was still running, nearly 1 in 5 voters did not have a favorable view of either Biden or Trump. Now, just 8% of voters have a negative view of both Harris and Trump.

In June, a previous poll found that 54% of “double haters" did not support Biden or Trump. In the current poll, Harris now has the support of 53% of that same group, with just 11% backing Trump.

“Taking Biden out of the mix and replacing him with Harris has significantly altered a key metric in this race,” Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth poll, said in a statement. “As we reported last month, Trump-Biden double haters want to shake things up, but they are wary of change that is too authoritarian. Harris appears to provide most of this group with the fresh outlook they desire.”

Harris’ nomination also increased support for Democrats among voters aged 18-35, with 53% supporting her compared to just 33% who supported Biden. 

Another recent poll conducted by The Swing State Project shows Harris leads Trump by 48% to 47% across seven combined battleground states. She is tied with Trump in Georgia, but leads in Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Trump leads Harris in Nevada by 47% to 42%.

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